Prevalence of neurological disorders in children less than 10 years of age in RS Pura town of Jammu and Kashmir

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of major neurological disorders in children less than 10 years of age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in the framework of a population based, single centre, cross-sectional study at Ranbir Singh Pura town, 22 km south-west of Jammu city. RESULTS: Eight cases of active epilepsy with a crude prevalence rate of 202 (95% confidence interval [CI] 180-220), five cases of Febrile seizures with a crude prevalence of 126 (95% CI 110-140) and eleven cases of cerebral palsy with a crude prevalence rate of 277 (95% CI 245-309) per 100,000 were found. Very few cases of other major neurological disorders were found. The prevalence rate of these disorders is estimated at same level as for other disorders such as - Post-meningitic sequelae, Infantile hemiparesis, Spinal deformity and Tic disorder is at 25 (95% CI 15-34) per 100,000. INTERPRETATION: On the basis of the data obtained, the present study provides some valuable data on common neurological diseases among children in RS Pura town of Jammu district of Jammu and Kashmir.