Depression in Patients with Epilepsy: A Study from Enugu; South East Nigeria

Depression is a common psychiatric disorder in epilepsy patients. A bidirectional interaction is thought to be present between epilepsy and depression. There are few studies of this relationship in Nigerian Africans. Objectives: This was a cross-sectional study of the frequency and pattern of depression in a cohort of epilepsy patients in Enugu; South East Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Adult patients with epilepsy seen at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital; Enugu; from May to September 2009 were assessed for depression using the Becks Inventory for Depression. Informed consent was obtained from each patient. Clinical data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences; version 15. The hospital's ethical review committee approved the study. Results: I0 n all; 83 subjects were studied (50 males and 33 females). They were aged from 18 to 75 years; with an average of 29.87 years. Most subjects were 25 years of age; single (53; 64) and had at least secondary school education (65; 78). Depression was present in 71 (85.5) subjects - minimal 57 (68.7); mild 10 (12); and moderate 4 (4.8). No case of severe depression was seen. Patients 25 years of age were the most affected. Depression was not significantly associated with age; gender; seizure type; or educational level. Conclusion: A significant proportion of Nigerian African epilepsy patients have depression; which may be easily overlooked; with far-reaching consequences on patients' quality of life; morbidity; and mortality rates. There is need to regularly assess for and manage epilepsy-related depression in this population

Profile of Neurological Admissions at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu

The burden of Neurological diseases may be on the increase especially in developing countries. Improved outcome in these settings may require appreciation of the spectrum of Neurological diseases and the impediments to their management. We aim to determine the profile of neurological admissions and the challenges of managing these diseases at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu South East Nigeria. Methods: Analysis of Neurological admissions into the medical wards of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu from January 2003 to December 2007. Results: Neurological admissions comprise about 14.8of medical admissions. There were 640 (51) males and 609 (49) females. The spectrum of neurological diseases were stroke 64.9; central nervous system infections (21.8); HIVrelated neurological diseases 3.5; hypertensive encephalopathy (3.4); dementia (3); subarachnoid haemorrhage (2.2); Guillian Barre syndrome (1.2); Parkinson's disease (1.1); myasthenia gravis (1.0); motor neurone disease and peripheral neuropathy and accounted for 0.8and 0.6respectively. Overall; non infectious disease accounted for 78.2of neurological admissions while infectious diseases accounted for 21.8. Conclusion: A wide spectrum of neurological diseases occurs in our setting. The high incidence of CNS infections indicates that efforts should be geared towards preventive measures. A major challenge to be addressed in the management of neurological diseases in our setting is the lack of specialized facilities