Epilepsy and Mortality in Africa: A Review of the Literature

Summary: Problem: The prevalence of epilepsy is high in many areas of Africa. This condition is stigmatized, and there are limited health personnel and facilities for diagnosis and treatment. A huge treatment gap is suspected for epilepsy, and data suggest that nearly 80–85% of people with epilepsy have never been diagnosed or treated. It is reported worldwide that the mortality among people with epilepsy is two‐ to threefold higher than in general population. An increase of at least this magnitude is suspected in Africa, but there are very few data. Verbal autopsy studies may be one way of carrying out studies of mortality for epilepsy in Africa because these methods do not rely on autopsies, which are rare, or upon death certificates, which are a poor source of information on death in Africa. Methods: This paper presents the literature on mortality after seizures in Africa, although there are few studies of mortality among people with epilepsy in Africa. Results: The existing studies suggest an increased risk of dying and a greater proportion of deaths that are epilepsy‐related. One study reports a sixfold increase in mortality in people with epilepsy. This is higher than the two‐ to threefold increase reported in developed countries. Conclusions: Considering the high prevalence of this condition, the public health impact of epilepsy mortality is likely to be enormous.