The impact and causes of delayed diagnosis of epilepsy: experience of 3rd level hospital, Marrakech (Morocco)

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease and one of the most common neurological disorders in the world, affecting approximately 69 million people worldwide. In Morocco, although epilepsy is treatable, about ¾ of epileptics do not receive treatment. The objective of our study is to specify the frequency of the delay in the diagnosis of epilepsy among patients in Marrakech, and to clarify the reasons for this delay and its impact on the evolution of the disease. Patients and methods: This is a retrospective study conducted on a sample of 152 patients from the neurology department at the CHU Mohammed VI of Marrakech from 2016 to 2019.  We collected biographical data, clinical history, and age of first seizure, date of first consultation, use of maraboutic methods and outcome of patients. Results: Of the 152 patients in this study, 72% were diagnosed late and were predominantly male. The age of the patients was between 18 and 39 years. The median time to diagnosis was 6 years. 15.3% of patients were diagnosed one year after the first attack, while 35% were diagnosed more than 6 years later. Half of our patients benefited from maraboutic methods. Conclusion: Cultural and socio-economic status is an important factor in our study. Therefore, epilepsy is still considered a major public health problem that requires increased efforts. Keywords: epilepsy, antiepileptic, treatment delay.