Farid Boumédiène

University of Limoges | UNILIM · Institut d'Epidémiologie Neurologique et de Neurologie Tropicale (IENT)

This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of elderly subjects in the general Guinean population and the associated factors. A general population, cross-sectional study was conducted among a representative sample from urban and rural areas. Socio-demographic clinical and anthropometric data were collected. Oral status was determined using...

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) management varies markedly between different countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region based on the availability and accessibility of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). Objective: To evaluate the accessibility to DMTs in each MENA country, identify barriers to treatment and make recommendati...

Purpose: This study aims to identify predictive factors of a two-year remission (2YR) in a cohort of children and adolescents with new-onset seizures based on baseline clinical characteristics, initial EEG and brain MRI findings. Methods: A prospective cohort of 688 patients with new onset seizures, initiated on treatment with antiseizure medica...

Background Cerebral malaria (CM) is a neuropathology which remains one of the deadliest forms of malaria among African children. The kinetics of the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to neuroinflammation and the death or survival of patients during CM are still poorly understood. The increasing production of cytokines, chemokines and other acto...

Background Peripheral neuropathies (PN) are a group of neurological conditions related to damage to the peripheral nervous system. Due to their wide diversity, few studies in sub-Saharan Africa have explored their epidemiology in general population. Our objective was to study the prevalence and associated factors with PN in general population in Ad...

Background While malaria morbidity and mortality have declined since 2000, viral central nervous system infections appear to be an important, underestimated cause of coma in malaria-endemic Eastern Africa. We aimed to describe the etiology of non-traumatic comas in young children in Benin, as well as their management and early outcomes, and to iden...

Background: Cerebral malaria (CM) is a neuropathology which remains one of the deadliest forms of malaria among African children. The kinetics of the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to neuroinflammation and the death or survival of patients during CM are still poorly understood. The increasing production of cytokines, chemokines and other act...

Introduction: People with epilepsy (PWE) face a variety of psychosocial challenges. A lack of knowledge of epilepsy, a high level of depression and anxiety and a low quality of life (QoL) are among the major problems that affect most PWE. The objective of this study was to examine the association of sociodemographic characteristics, clinical factor...

Objective To assess spatial aggregates of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) incident cases, using a solid geo-epidemiological statistical method, in France. Methods This population-based study (2003–2011) investigated 47.1 million person-years of follow-up (PYFU). Case ascertainment of incident ALS cases was based on multiple sources (ALS referr...

Background: Despite an estimated 8% prevalence of mental disorders in Myanmar, the treatment gap is high, up to 90%. This project aimed to assess the effects of a series of activities implemented by the Myanmar Medical Association over a 2-year period in Hlaing Thar Yar Township involving community health workers (CHWs) and general practitioners (...

Background & aims Undernutrition, overweight and obesity are noted among elderly people, but African data were scattered, and no structured synthesis has yet been performed to review studies on nutritional status (NS) of this population. The aim of this study was to assess NS using Body Mass Index (BMI), among elderly living in communities in Afric...

Background: Recent studies have described a low occurrence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in Latin America. Significant differences in ALS risk have been reported among ethnic populations in the region. We conducted a meta-analysis using population-based data to describe ALS mortality rates in Latin America. We explored sources of heterogen...

Introduction et but de l’étude Plusieurs études en Afrique ont étudié le statut nutritionnel des personnes âgées en Afrique. Les données africaines sont éparses et n’avaient pas encore fait l’objet d’une revue répondant aux standards méthodologiques contemporains. L’objectif de cette étude était d’identifier les études sur l’état nutritionnel s’app...

Introduction et but de l’étude Il n’existe actuellement qu’une seule étude nationale sur le statut nutritionnel des personnes âgées en Guinée conduite en 2011 en population générale. Une dénutrition était retrouvée chez 6 % des hommes et 5 % des femmes d’âge > 65 ans. L’objectif de notre travail était d’évaluer l’état nutritionnel des personnes âgé...

Purpose: The goal of epilepsy treatment is to control seizures without drug related problems (DRPs). The evaluation of anti-seizure drugs (ASD) strategies and identification of DRPs are rarely studied. This study aimed primarily to evaluate the choice of ASD according to international guidelines and secondarily to identify and describe anti-seizur...

Objective Systematic reviews were conducted on the existence of screening tools for epilepsy, quality of life or comorbidities tools, but not specifically in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the different tools developed and validated in low- and middle-income countries for the investigation of epilepsy. This to facili...

Introduction: Primary brain tumors (PBTs) account for approximately 2% of all cancers and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. However, only few epidemiological studies focus on PBTs in Italy. The aim of this study was to evaluate incidence, temporal trend, and survival rate of all PBTs in the province of Catania during the stu...

BACKGROUND Although the World Health Organization has called for mental health services to be integrated into primary care, mental health remains in most countries, and especially in low- and middle-income countries, one of the most neglected topics in the training curriculum of frontline health workers. As a result, primary healthcare professional...

BackgroundA noticeable change of the male-to-female sex ratio (SR) has been observed in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) leading to an apparent regression of SR with time (SR close to 1:1). Objective To provide a global SR estimate and investigate its relation with respect to population age.MethodsA systematic review and meta-analysis was conduc...

Introduction Epilepsy is a chronic disease of the brain that affects approximately 50 million people globally, with over 80 % of them living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In Madagascar, as in most LMICs, one of the main obstacles to treatment is the stigma and discrimination experienced by patients. Beliefs and prejudices regarding t...

Introduction: Epilepsy affects >50 million people worldwide, with 80% of them living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Studies with a standardized methodology are required to obtain comparable data on epilepsy and implement health policies in order to reduce the treatment gap and improve the diagnosis and management of epilepsy. In 2000...

Objective Epilepsy is a major neurological disorder that requires long-term medical treatment. Once epilepsy is diagnosed, people with epilepsy face many difficulties in accessing treatment (treatment gap). Our objective was to assess the situation regarding the availability, price, affordability, and quality of anti-seizure medication (ASM), which...

Background The term Nodding Syndrome (NS) refers to an atypical and severe form of childhood epilepsy characterized by a repetitive head nodding (HN). The disease has been for a long time limited to East Africa, and the cause is still unknown. The objective of this study was to confirm the existence of NS cases in Central African Republic (CAR). M...

Background Meningiomas are the most common primary brain tumors, followed by glioblastomas. Nevertheless, no previous studies have been conducted to evaluate the epidemiology of meningiomas and glioblastomas in the southern region of Italy. Thus, the aim of our study was to evaluate incidence, temporal trend and survival rate of meningiomas and gli...

Introduction: despite the high prevalence and significant burden of mental disorders, they remain grossly under-diagnosed and undertreated. In low-income countries, such as Mali, integrating mental health services into primary care is the most viable way of closing the treatment gap. This program aimed to provide a mental health training intervent...

Introduction: Heterogeneity of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been suggested in terms of epidemiology, phenotypes and genetics between geographic areas and populations. However, there is limited information in Latin America. We conducted a systematic review that aimed to describe the epidemiology, frequency of genetic mutations, clinical c...

L’Asie du Sud-Est, composée de 11 pays, dont la plupart sont membres de l’Association des Nations de l’Asie du Sud-Est (ANASE), regroupe 8,58 % de la population mondiale (soit 668 millions de personnes) dans des pays aux revenus faibles et intermédiaires. Les traditions culturelles et les politiques menées y conditionnent le système de soins et les...

Au début des années 1990, l’épidémiologie descriptive de l’épilepsie tropicale a préalablement visé la détermination d’indicateurs de prévalence, plus rarement d’incidence et encore plus rarement en proposant une bonne représentativité nationale ou macro-régionale. Dans un second temps, durant la décennie 2000, la recherche des facteurs expliquant...

Introduction Les données épidémiologiques sur les troubles psychiques, les troubles neurocognitifs et l’épilepsie mettent en évidence des maladies ubiquitaires, présentes dans toutes cultures et latitudes, avec des prévalences élevées, notamment dans les pays en développement. Objectifs L’objectif principal était d’évaluer les connaissances, attit...

Background Onchocerciasis is a serious problem in tropical areas. The role of the parasite as a factor associated with neurological diseases needs to be addressed because it might involve a reduction of the risk via elimination strategies. We performed a systematic scoping review to identify available studies on this association and put into perspe...

Although psychiatric and neurological disorders are among the first contributors to the global burden of disease, they remain among the most neglected topics of Global Health. There is a real need to raise their profile, to improve advocacy so that the impact of these diseases is better understood, and greater political efforts are made to improve...

Background Visual impairment (VI) and determinants of poor cardiovascular health are very common in sub-Saharan Africa. However, we do not know whether these determinants are associated to VI among older adults in this region. This study aimed at investigating the association between the determinants of poor cardiovascular health and near VI among...

Background: Epilepsy affects more than 50 million people worldwide, 80% of whom live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In Southeast Asia, the prevalence is moderate (6‰), and the main public health challenge is reducing the treatment gap, which reaches more than 90% in rural areas. Methods: This 12-month comparative study (intervention v...

Objective Epilepsy is a chronic condition treatable by cost‐effective antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), but limited access to treatment was documented. The availability and affordability of good quality of AEDs play a significant role in access to good health care. This study aimed to assess the availability, affordability, and quality of long‐term AEDs...

Introduction Les neuropathies périphériques (NP) constituent un groupe d’affections neurologiques liées à une atteinte du système nerveux périphérique. Malgré leur grande diversité, la plupart des études sont basées sur un type particulier de NP, en milieu hospitalier ou sur un terrain spécifique (VIH, diabète…). Peu d’études ont exploré l’épidémio...

Background Epilepsy is among the more stigmatising diseases, leading to a negative impact on the quality of life (QoL) of people with epilepsy (PWE). Assessment of the QoL and stigma in PWE reflects the outcome of their disease, and the findings can be used to improve the management of epilepsy. To fill a gap in the literature, our primary aim is t...

Epilepsy is a major public health concern in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and comorbidities aggravate the burden associated with the disease. The epidemiology of these comorbidities has not been well described, although, identifying the main comorbidities of epilepsy, and their relative importance, is crucial for improving the quality of...

Recently, there were anecdotal reports of a high number of persons with epilepsy, including children with nodding seizures in the Landja Mboko area located about 9 km from the capital city Bangui, Central African Republic. We suspected the area to be endemic for onchocerciasis, and that the alleged increase in the number of epilepsy cases was due t...

Background and aim Traditional practices are deeply rooted in Lao people’s perceptions and beliefs about health and illness. The objective of the study was to understand the perceptions of healthcare professionals and traditional healers regarding the management of epilepsy in Laos, and their reciprocal views. Experimental procedure An observation...

Methodologies of population-based studies on neurological diseases in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have not been standardized. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the numerous challenges occurring in this context and propose a standard framework for population-based studies in LMICs. We relied on our expertise on fe...

Introduction: Neurological disorders are an important cause of disability and death worldwide. The distribution of these disorders differs significantly in developing countries. Screening questionnaires have been used as an important tool to detect neurological illnesses. This systematic literature review aimed to report the validity of screening...

Background: Although they are declining worldwide, neurotropic parasitic diseases are still common in developing and emerging countries. The aim of this study was to estimate the pooled prevalence and pooled association measures of comorbidities between mental disorders (anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia) and neurotropic par...

Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous highly prevalent zoonotic protozoan. Cats are the definitive hosts, while all other warm-blooded animals are intermediate hosts for this parasite. Commensal rodents, being the main prey of cats, are probably the major reservoir for T. gondii in the domestic environment. Rodents can acquire infection after ingestion...

Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder encountered in primary care in Southeast Asia. People with epilepsy require long-term therapy management. Nonadherence to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) has been identified as a major factor in suboptimal control of epilepsy. Pharmacies offer patients a first-line point of contact with the healthcare sy...

Background Epilepsy is a common worldwide neurological disorder. For people with epilepsy (PWE), adherence and attitudes towards medication is a crucial step to improve efficacy of prescribed treatment and to prevent seizures. Objectives The first aim of this study was to evaluate attitudes towards antiepileptic medications in Lebanese population...

In sub-Saharan Africa, few studies have addressed the environmental determinants of the incidence of Toxoplasma gondii infection. Free-range chickens are regarded as sensitive indicators for environmental contamination with T. gondii oocysts due to their ground-feeding behavior and have been used as sentinels. A cross-sectional study was conducted...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease of unknown etiology. Mobile communication antennas have increased over the last few decades. Consequently, there has been a steady increase in environmental exposure to ultra high frequency electromagnetic fields (UHF-EMFs) emitted by Global System for Mobile (GSM) communicati...

Previously, we described a significantly higher risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) among the population living on the eastern flank of the Mt. Etna with respect to the western flank (RR 2.75; 95% CI 1.64‐4.89).[1] Since winds usually blow Etna ashes from westerly to north‐westerly [2], the eastern flank is the most exposed area and volcano...

Introduction In 2016, an estimated 216 million cases and 445 000 deaths of malaria occurred worldwide, in 91 countries. In Benin, malaria causes 26.8% of consultation and hospitalisation motif in the general population and 20.9% in children under 5 years old. The goal of the NeuroCM project is to identify the causative factors of neuroinflammation...

Relevance: More than 70 million people suffer epilepsy worldwide. Low availability of anti-epileptic drugs, side-effects and drug-resistant epilepsy affect the quality of life of persons with epilepsy in countries with a poorly developed health system. Herbal medicine is frequently used for this neurological condition. Objectives: The main objectiv...

Toxoplasma gondii is an ubiquitous highly prevalent zoonotic protozoan. Cats are the definitive hosts, while all other warm-blooded animals are intermediate hosts for this parasite. Commensal rodents, being the main preys of cats, are probably the major reservoir for T. gondii. Rodents often develop dormant tissue cysts after ingestion of oocysts s...

Current evidence suggests heterogeneity of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) among geographic areas and populations. Lower mortality rates have been reported in admixed populations compared to European origin populations. We aimed to describe and compare ALS mortality rates among ethnic groups using a population-based approach in a multiethnic co...

Background As the data on the association of mental disorders and chronic physical diseases in developing and emerging countries is heterogeneous, this study aims to produce the first meta-analysis of these comorbidities. Methodology The meta-analysis protocol was registered in PROSPERO (N°CRD42017056521) and was performed in accordance with PRISM...

Objective The main objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of health sciences students regarding epilepsy at the end of their curriculum in Benin. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey among medical, pharmacy, nursing, and midwife students in their last year of health sciences training in the U...

Relevance: A low level of knowledge about epilepsy among health workers, a context of stigmatizing sociocultural beliefs, and a low availability of antiepileptic drugs in Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) are major gaps in the medical management of people with epilepsy in this country. Objectives: The principal objective of the study was to...

To evaluate the association between worldwide ALS incidence rates and age, using a dose–response meta-analysis. We reviewed Medline and Embase up to July 2016 and included all population-based studies of newly-diagnosed cases, using multiple sources for case ascertainment. A dose–response meta-analysis was performed. A meta-regression investigated...

Most people with epilepsy live in tropical countries. Perinatal factors seem to play a significant role in the occurrence of epilepsy. Available data provide different and sometimes contradictory conclusions on the role and the burden of these factors. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of these perinatal factors on the development of...

Objective: To assess the current status of initiatives carried out in developing countries to improve therapeutic management of people with epilepsy. Methods: A literature review was performed in 2015 to identify and analyze interventional programs carried out in countries with low- and middle-income economies. Electronic databases were reviewed...

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Epilepsy affects 150,000 people in Peru, with a prevalence of 16.6/1,000 and a treatment gap of 75%. Herbal medicine (HM) is widely used in this country. Aim of the study: We aimed to assess the use of plants in a rural community in northern Peru as part of therapeutic strategies for people with epilepsy (PWE). M...

Neuroepidemiological studies are challenging in low- and middle-income countries. This chapter focuses on methodological problems in studies conducted in these countries and attempts to give the reasons for their limitations. Regional conditions and environmental factors must be given careful consideration in the research design because of the impo...

Defining the pattern of genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii is important to understand its worldwide distribution. During the last decades, a large number of studies have been published on Toxoplasma genotypes circulating in Europe, in North and South America. Two continents are still largely unexplored, Africa and, to a less extent, Asia. In th...