Epilepsy Diagnosis Delay in a Tertiary Hospital Center: What Facts, for What Reasons?

Abstract Objectives  Epilepsy remains a public health problem in developing countries, especially in Morocco. This prospective study was performed to expose new data about the time required to diagnose epilepsy in a tertiary hospital center and the main reasons behind its delay. Methods  From January 2018 to December 2019, time from first seizure to diagnosis was acquired from 300 patients using face-to-face interview with pre-established sheet at the neurology department in tertiary hospital center (Marrakech, Morocco). Results  Of the 300 patients, the mean epilepsy diagnosis delay was about 5 years, ranging from 1 month to over 40 years, with an 18 months difference between urban and rural habitation. About 36.4% had a delayed diagnosis of 1 year, 34% delayed by more than 5 years, and 26% delayed above 10 years. The main type of seizures was focal, mainly affecting young male patients. Rural habitation and seizure type impact significantly the delay of diagnosis. Conclusion  This study revealed considerable epilepsy diagnosis delay with a statistically significant impact of rural habitation and seizure type. New and efficient strategies are needed to be developed to reduce the delay in epilepsy diagnosis and improve epilepsy care.