Motor neuron disease in sub-Saharan Africa: case series from a Tanzanian referral hospital

Introduction

Motor neuron disease (MND) is an overarching term for progressive conditions affecting anterior horn cells and the primary motor neurons. In a multiethnic population study (estimated incidence rate 144 per 100 000 person-years), there was a relatively lower age-adjusted risk for patients of African descent.1 For the sub-Saharan African region, most epidemiological studies on MND come from Western Africa.2 From the United Republic of Tanzania, no reports are available. The original predominance of infectious disease, a lower life expectancy, scarce healthcare facilities and a threshold to neurological care with one neurologist per 8–10 million inhabitants of the country3 contribute to this gap.

Materials and methods

The study was conducted in Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, a tertiary referral hospital in Northern Tanzania. During two periods in which neurologists were present (1984–1992 with 1628 subjects and 2007–2015 with 2040 subjects), epidemiological data on consecutive neurological patients (age,...

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