Browsing by Author "Schmutzhard, Erich"

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    Nakalanga Syndrome: Clinical Characteristics, Potential Causes, and Its Relationship with Recently Described Nodding Syndrome
    (PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2017) FoÈger, Kathrin; Gora-Stahlberg, Gina; Sejvar, James; Ovuga, Emilio; ilek-Aall, Louise J; Schmutzhard, Erich; Kaiser, Christoph; Winkler, Andrea S.
    Nakalanga syndrome is a condition that was described in Uganda and various other African countries decades ago. Its features include growth retardation, physical deformities, endocrine dysfunction, mental impairment, and epilepsy, amongst others. Its cause remains obscure. Nodding syndrome is a neurological disorder with some features in common with Nakalanga syndrome, which has been described mainly in Uganda, South Sudan, and Tanzania. It has been considered an encephalopathy affecting children who, besides head nodding attacks, can also present with stunted growth, delayed puberty, and mental impairment, amongst other symptoms. Despite active research over the last years on the pathogenesis of Nodding syndrome, to date, no convincing single cause of Nodding syndrome has been reported. In this review, by means of a thorough literature search, we compare features of both disorders. We conclude that Nakalanga and Nodding syndromes are closely related and may represent the same condition. Our findings may provide new directions in research on the cause underlying this neurological disorder.
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    Nodding syndrome in northern Uganda: Overview and community perspectives
    (Epilepsy & Behavior, 2013) Mitchell, Katrina B.; Kornfeld, Julie; Adiama, Joseph; Mugenyi, Andrew; Schmutzhard, Erich; Ovuga, Emilio; Kamstra, Jesse; Sylvia Winkler, Andrea
    The increasing prevalence of nodding syndrome in northern Uganda has generated a wide range of speculations with respect to etiology and natural history of and best possible medical treatment for this mysterious seizure disorder. Despite in-depth investigations by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and theMinistry of Health in Uganda, no clear causal factors have emerged. At the same time, northern Uganda communities are voicing concern for their lack of knowledge about nodding syndrome. The purpose of this commentary is to summarize northern Uganda community perceptions of this syndrome. These reflections demonstrate the need for larger investigations into the impact of nodding syndrome and other seizure disorders on local communities both in northern Uganda and throughout the world, in particular rural areas of resource poor countries.