Assessment of the Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors with Pediatric Hydrocephalus in Selected Diagnostic Centers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2020-09
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Abeba University
Abstract
Background: Hydrocephalus (HCP) is defined as pathophysiology with disturbed CSF.
Neither
qualitatively nor quantitatively are there adequate data to determine the prevalence and incidence
of HCP in the developing world. HCP is a treatable condition that when left untreated, has fatal
consequences.
Objective: The objective of this study, therefore, was to assess the prevalence and associated risk
factors in pediatric HCP in selected diagnostic centers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Methods: A cross-sectional facility-based study was conducted over a retrospective and
prospective data collection periods. Children aged 5 years and below who came to the four selected
diagnostic centers for MRI and CT examination were studied. The collected data were analyzed
using binary logistic regression. The level of significance was set at P<0.05.
Result: The retrospective study included 639(58%) males, 432 (42%) females, and 753 (68.4%)
infants were aged younger than 24 months. The mean age calculated was 22.3 months. Children
diagnosed with HCP were 245 (22.3%); of these HCP cases, 153(62.4%) were classified as noncommunicating
HCP. Aqueductal stenosis, 17.9% was found to be the most common cause
associated with congenital HCP. This study identified infants aged younger than 24 months to be
significantly associated with HCP (P<0.05). Regarding the gender and age distribution of the
prospective study, 57(57.6%) males, 42 (42.4%) females, mean age of 24.9 months, and 60
(60.6%) infants aged younger than 24 months were included. Children diagnosed with HCP were
23 (23.2%); of these HCP cases, 13(56.5%) were classified as non-communicating HCP. This
study also found Aqueductal stenosis 26.1% as the most common cause associated with congenital
HCP. Inadequate consumption of folic acid, usage of the folic acid supplement after conceiving,
and familial association of HCP were all found to be statistically significant (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the high prevalence of HCP was due to the high
prevalence of Aqueductal stenosis and NTD; with a small contribution of post-infectious causes.
The majority of infants who present with HCP are aged younger than 24months.
Description
Keywords
Hydrocephalus, Cerebrospinal fluid, Neural tube defects, CT, and MRI.