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CDC provides data on prevalence of nodding syndrome in Uganda
A recent MMWR report provides a population-based assessment of the prevalence of nodding syndrome in Uganda from 2012 to 2013.
Nodding syndrome is a seizure disorder of unknown etiology that predominantly affects children aged 3 to 18 years in three sub-Saharan countries. The most prominent symptom is episodic head nodding, which are thought to be a manifestation of a syndrome that includes neurologic deterioration, cognitive impairment and additional seizure types.
Previous studies on nodding syndrome have focused on clinical features, progression and etiology, but have not provided a population-based prevalence assessment.
The CDC and Ugandan Ministry of Health conducted a single-stage cluster survey to assess the prevalence of nodding syndrome in Uganda from 2012 to 2013. Researchers used a new consensus case definition, which was modified during the investigation.
Of the 544 study participants, 385 reportedly had current or history of head nodding. Of these, 84% were previously normal and therefore met the case definition for suspected nodding syndrome. Three hundred of the 325 suspected cases met major criterion of age of onset when aged 3 to 18 years and one minor criterion. Thus, these patients were considered probable cases.
Thirty-one percent of study participants responded with “don’t know” to questions regarding significant syndrome indicators such as head nodding frequency; therefore, data quality was considered to be poor, according to researchers.
Among all age groups, there were an estimated 2,019 suspected cases of nodding syndrome, with 1,834 probable cases. Researchers estimated 1,782 suspected cases and 1,687 probable cases among children aged 5 to 18 years. These data indicated a prevalence of 7.2 suspected cases per 1,000 population and 6.8 probable cases per 1,000 population among the three districts.
“This information is critical for guiding allocation of health care resources to provide appropriate management of persons with [nodding syndrome] in northern Uganda, and for designing a cohesive strategy to address this emerging public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa,” the researchers concluded.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
