BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To date, there are no national prevalence data on common neurological conditions. This study aims to determine the prevalences of stroke, parkinsonism, dementia and migraine in the Philippines derived from a population-based sampling.

METHODOLOGY: Cross-sectional study using a multistaged cluster sampling methodology was employed. The validated PNA questionnaire was incorporated into the National Nutrition Health Survey (NNHeS) together with the survey tools of the other thirteen medical societies in need of their prevalence data.

RESULTS: This study evaluated 4,753 adults aged 20 or more from 2636 households, 17 regions and 79 provinces of the Philippines. The weighted adjusted point prevalence for stroke was 1.4 percent based on a previous diagnosis of stroke. Using the PNA questionnaire, the prevalence of parkinsonism, dementia and migraine were 0.95 percent, 3.14 percent and 7.9 percent respectively. As expected, the prevalences of stroke, dementia, parkinsonism increased with advancing age. There was a female predominance in all the four conditions.

IMPLICATIONS: These prevalence data would give clinicians and policy makers an estimate of how frequent these five common neurological illnesses affect the Filipino adult population. This knowledge is important for health planning, prioritization of health projects and as baseline for future prevalence studies. (Author)

Stroke ; Dementia ; Migraine Disorders ; Parkinsonism Disorders ; Epilepsy ; Prevalence ; Cross-sectional Studies