Epidemiology of cerebral palsy in Malawi.

IF 4.3 2区医学 Q1 CLINICAL NEUROLOGY

Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology Pub Date : 2025-08-20 DOI:10.1111/dmcn.16453

Thembi J Katangwe-Chirwa, Israt Jahan, Aaron Chitedze, Talumba Mankhokwe, Anderson Mughogho, Yamikani Chimalizeni, Macpherson Mallewa, Nadia Badawi, Gulam Khandaker

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aim: To describe the epidemiology of cerebral palsy (CP) among children in rural areas of Malawi.

Method: This was a cross-sectional study on children with CP younger than 18 years from a rural district registered in the Malawi Cerebral Palsy Register. Community child protection workers, trained as CP key informants, identified children with CP using a population-based approach. A multidisciplinary medical team ascertained the CP diagnosis before registration. The children's baseline characteristics, CP risk factors, and comorbidities were documented. Descriptive and inferential analyses were completed.

Results: A total of 911 children were screened (December 2023-June 2024), and 538 were registered (median [interquartile range] age = 5 years 11 months [range: 2 years 7 months-11 years 10 months], 59.3% male). Bilateral spastic CP was the most common type (46.3%), with most children (90.5%) classified in Gross Motor Function Classification System levels III to V. The observed CP prevalence was 1.7 per 1000 children. Perinatal asphyxia (40.5%) and cerebral malaria (12.3%) were the most common 'probable causes'. Institutional deliveries were reported in 95.1% and prolonged or obstructed labour was the most reported labour complication (42.7%).

Interpretation: Our findings suggest that preventable causes are the main drivers of CP in Malawi. As such, factors in the health care system that contribute to these causes need to be evaluated.

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马拉维脑瘫的流行病学。

目的：了解马拉维农村儿童脑瘫（CP）的流行病学。方法：这是一项横断面研究，来自马拉维脑瘫登记的农村地区，年龄小于18岁的CP儿童。社区儿童保护工作者接受过CP关键线人的培训，使用基于人群的方法确定患有CP的儿童。一个多学科医疗小组在登记前确定了CP诊断。记录儿童的基线特征、CP危险因素和合并症。完成描述性和推断性分析。结果：共筛查儿童911例（2012月- 2024年6月），登记538例（年龄中位数[四分位数间距]= 5岁11个月[范围：2岁7个月-11岁10个月]，男性59.3%）。双侧痉挛性脑瘫是最常见的类型（46.3%），大多数儿童（90.5%）被划分为大运动功能分类系统III至v级，观察到的脑瘫患病率为每1000名儿童1.7例。围产期窒息（40.5%）和脑型疟疾（12.3%）是最常见的“可能原因”。95.1%的人报告在医院分娩，延长或难产是最常见的分娩并发症（42.7%）。解释：我们的研究结果表明，可预防的原因是马拉维CP的主要驱动因素。因此，需要对卫生保健系统中导致这些原因的因素进行评估。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 医学-临床神经学

CiteScore

7.80

自引率

13.20%

发文量

338

审稿时长

3-6 weeks

期刊介绍： Wiley-Blackwell is pleased to publish Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (DMCN), a Mac Keith Press publication and official journal of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) and the British Paediatric Neurology Association (BPNA). For over 50 years, DMCN has defined the field of paediatric neurology and neurodisability and is one of the world’s leading journals in the whole field of paediatrics. DMCN disseminates a range of information worldwide to improve the lives of disabled children and their families. The high quality of published articles is maintained by expert review, including independent statistical assessment, before acceptance.