Estimation of the prevalence of epilepsy in the Benin region of Zinvie using the capture-recapture method

doi:10.1093/ije/29.2.330

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International Journal of Epidemiology 2000;29:330-335
© International Epidemiological Association 2000

Estimation of the prevalence of epilepsy in the Benin region of Zinvié using the capture-recapture method

Caroline Debrock^a, Pierre-Marie Preux^a^,b, Dismand Houinato^a^,c, Michel Druet-Cabanac^a, Ferdinand Kassa^c, Constant Adjien^c, Gilbert Avode^a^,c, François Denis^d, Fernand Boutros-Toni^a^,b and Michel Dumas^a

^a Institute of Neurological Epidemiology and Tropical Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Limoges, France.
^b Department of Medical Biostatistics and Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Limoges, France.
^c Faculty of Medicine, University of Cotonou, Benin.
^d Department of Bacteriology, Virology and Hygiene, Limoges University Hospital, Limoges, France.

Reprint requests to: Pierre-Marie Preux, Institut d'Epidémiologie Neurologique et de Neurologie Tropicale, Faculté de Médecine, 2, rue du Docteur Marcland, 87 025 Limoges, France. E-mail: ient{at}unilim.fr

Background The prevalence of epilepsy was estimated in two villagesof 3134 inhabitants, in Benin, in April and May 1997 using thecapture-recapture method.

Methods Information was obtained from (i) a door-to-door cross-sectionalstudy, (ii) a non- medical source consisting of key informants(traditional practitioners, teachers, village leaders, and religiousrepresentatives) and (iii) a medical source through evaluationof medical records in health centres. In all the three situations,the diagnosis of epilepsy was confirmed by a neurologist.

Results The door-to-door survey found 50 epileptics, i.e. aprevalence of 15.9 per 1000. The non-medical source found 26patients. The medical source found only four patients. In total,66 epileptics were found by combining the three sources, givinga prevalence of 21.1 per 1000. After application of the capture-recapturemethod, the estimated number of cases from the door-to-doorsurvey and non-medical source was 105, and 110 cases when themedical source was considered as well. The respective prevalenceswere 33.5 per 1000, and 35.1 per 1000.

Conclusions The door-to-door survey has been usefully improvedby using key informants. The epilepsy prevalence estimate foundby capture-recapture is clearly higher than that found by traditionalcross-sectional methods, and could better depict the frequencyof epilepsy in Africa.

Keywords Africa, Benin, capture-recapture method, epilepsy, prevalence

Accepted 15 October 1999

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