Abstract

Background: Epilepsy stands as a persistent and significant neurological disorder, ranking among the primary contributors to disability in Ethiopia.

Objective: To evaluate the risk factors for epilepsy among children undergoing follow-up at Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College, Addis Ababa Ethiopia 2023.

Methods: An unmatched case-control study design was implemented to investigate epilepsy risk factors among patients attending the neurology clinic at Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College, a teaching hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2023. The study included 87 cases selected from individuals with epilepsy and 174 controls chosen from non-epileptic patients attending the general paediatrics clinic at the same hospital during the same timeframe. Data on the identified risk factors were gathered through personal interviews using a structured questionnaire and by reviewing medical records. Subsequently, the collected data were coded, checked for accuracy, and entered into Epi-Info-7. The information was then exported to SPSS Version 26 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted, and both crude and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. A significance level of p < 0.05 was employed to indicate statistical significance.

Results: Of the cases, 58 (66.7%) and among the controls, 95 (57.9%) had a mean age of 5.8 ± 4.0 and 5.8 ± 3.6 years, respectively. The probability of experiencing epilepsy was higher in children with a family history of epilepsy (AOR: 5.69, 95% CI (2.051, 15.84)), an Apgar score

Conclusion: This study identified an increased likelihood of epilepsy in individuals with a family history of the condition, an Apgar score <6, a history of CNS infection, and current neurological impairment.