Prevalence of the major neurological disorders in a semi-urban community in northern Benin.

Background: Neurological disorders are some of the most disabling diseases. Epidemiological data on their incidence in Benin are scarce.

Objective: The prevalence of major neurological diseases among people older than 15 years was investigated in Titirou.

Methods: It was a cross-sectional study and door-to-door survey which took place from June 10 to August 30, 2014, in the district of Titirou and included 1094 persons. The diagnosis of migraine, tension-type headaches, epilepsy, peripheral neuropathies, stroke, parkinsonism, Parkinson's disease and dementia were conducted using a validated screening questionnaire, neurological examination and standard diagnostics criteria.

Results: They were aged from 16 to 85 with a mean age of 29.8 +/- 12.9 years. Forty five percent (492/1094) were males. Among the 1094 respondents, 497 (45.4% 95%CI 42.5-48.4) had at least one neurological disorder. The raw prevalences of the conditions were: tension-type headaches (26.9%), migraine (14.3%); peripheral neuropathies (5.6%); epilepsy (1.9%); stroke (1.3%), parkinsonism (0.1%). No case of dementia or Parkinson's disease was found. Socio-demographic factors associated with these conditions were as follows: tension-type headaches: age ( = .020); peripheral neuropathies: age ( = 0. 000); sex ( = .006); profession ( = .004); marital status ( = .032); and level of education ( = .003); stroke: age ( = .000) and marital status (p = .000).

Conclusion: These results point to a high prevalence of neurological disorders in Titirou.