Epidemiological and Clinical Study of Familial Epilepsy in Lubumbashi

Epilepsies are very ancient diseases and the most widespread neurological diseases in the world. They are common conditions that constitute a heterogeneous group from an etiological perspective. The annual incidence of epilepsy is estimated at around 50 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year in industrialized countries, while in developing countries, this figure is higher, ranging from 100 to 190 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. We conducted a cross-sectional analytical prospective study with stratified probabilistic sampling to select the subjects who participated. A total of 72 families were collected and subjected to statistical analyses. The patients living with epilepsy were aged 40 years or younger and had a family history of epilepsy. We found that the prevalence of familial epilepsy in Lubumbashi is 11.23% of cases and the mean age of patients with epilepsy and a family history of epilepsy is 15.24 ± 11.03 years, with a median of 14 years, a 1st quartile of 7 years and a 3rd quartile of 20 years. The sex ratio is 1.32 in favor of men and generalized tonic-clonic seizures represent 70.83% of cases, followed by absence seizures at 8.33%. The frequency of other seizures fluctuates between 1.39% and 4.17% of cases.