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Neuropathological changes in Nakalanga syndrome Universiteit Antwerpen
Nakalanga syndrome is a clinical manifestation of onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy characterized by stunting, delayed or absent secondary sexual development and skeletal deformities, and is often accompanied by epileptic seizures. The pathophysiology of Nakalanga syndrome is unknown. Here, we describe the post-mortem findings of a 17-year-old female who died with Nakalanga syndrome in northern Uganda. Macroscopic and histopathological ...
Nodding syndrome research, lessons learned from the NSETHIO project Universiteit Antwerpen
Background. Until recently, nodding syndrome (NS) was considered as a mysterious disease of unknown etiology. A link between onchocerciasis and epilepsy was suspected for a long time. However, onchocerciasis was not considered as the cause of NS because NS was believed to occur only in onchocerciasis-endemic regions in Uganda, South Sudan, and Tanzania. In October 2015, with funding from the European Research Council, the NSETHIO group launched ...
Report of the first international workshop on onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde Universiteit Antwerpen
Background: Recently, several epidemiological studies performed in Onchocerca volvulus-endemic regions have suggested that onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE) may constitute an important but neglected public health problem in many countries where onchocerciasis is still endemic.
Main text: On October 12-14th 2017, the first international workshop on onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE) was held in Antwerp, Belgium. The ...
Case report Universiteit Antwerpen
Nakalanga syndrome is a childhood developmental disorder that has been reported from various parts of sub-Saharan Africa with the major sign of retarded growth, regularly combined with physical deformities, impaired mental and pubertal development, and epilepsy. We present a follow-up over a 24-year period of a patient living in the Itwara onchocerciasis focus of western Uganda. We demonstrate the strong similarity of Nakalanga syndrome to the ...
Clinical presentations of onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE) in Cameroon Universiteit Antwerpen
Background: A high prevalence of epilepsy has been observed in several onchocerciasis-endemic countries, including Cameroon. However, little is known on the clinical presentations of the affected persons with epilepsy (PWE). A community-based study was conducted with the aim of describing the spectrum of seizures in selected onchocerciasis-endemic villages in Cameroon and documenting relevant medical history in patients with ...
Onchocerca volvulus and epilepsy Universiteit Antwerpen
Author summary There is growing epidemiological evidence that an infection with Onchocerca volvulus (the parasite causing onchocerciasis or river blindness) can trigger epilepsy, including nodding and Nakalanga syndromes. We studied the association between onchocerciasis and epilepsy using previously proposed criteria for causality and found strong arguments in favor of a causal relationship. The risk for children to develop epilepsy seems to be ...
Changes in epilepsy burden after onchocerciasis elimination in a hyperendemic focus of western Uganda Universiteit Antwerpen
Background In 1994, prevalence and incidence of epilepsy were high in the Itwara onchocerciasis focus (western Uganda), and cases of nodding and Nakalanga syndrome were documented. Onchocerciasis transmission was interrupted successfully in 2001. 17 years later, we re-investigated the epilepsy burden in this area. Methods From Dec 11 to Dec 15, 2018, a door-to-door survey was done in the three villages (Kabende Centre, Masongora South, and ...
Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy Universiteit Antwerpen
Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized by repeated unprovoked seizures, currently affecting over 50 million individuals globally. There is a disproportionate geographical repartition of epilepsy, with 80% of cases living in low- and middle-income countries including sub-Saharan Africa. Among other reasons, infections of the central nervous system are responsible for the substantially greater burden of epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa. Previous ...
Neurological manifestations in Onchocerca volvulus infection Universiteit Antwerpen
Human onchocerciasis, caused by infection by the filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus, is a major neglected public health problem that affects millions of people in the endemic regions of sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Onchocerciasis is known to be associated with skin and eye disease and more recently, neurological features have been recognized as a major manifestation. Especially the latter poses a severe burden on affected individuals ...