Table 4

Reported perceived causes and the single most important cause for MRI with and without convulsions
Perceived causes reported1
 How reported2
 Most important


With convulsion (n = 101)
 Without convulsion (n = 100)
 With convulsion (n = 101)
 Without convulsion (n = 100)




Total (%)
 Fraction Spont.
 Total (%)
 Fraction Spont.

Insect bites





Mosquito bite
 44.4
 0.24
 94.0
 0.48**
 6.9
 35.0**
Infections & malaria-related
 95.1
 0.64
 73.0
 0.07**
 43.6
 1.0**
Phlegm
 77.1
 0.41
 24.0
 0.04**
 15.8
 0.0**
Atridii/asra/malaria
 57.4
 0.54
 0.0
 0.00**
 13.9
 0.0**
Worm infections
 58.2
 0.17
 68.0
 0.06
 13.9
 1.0**
Exposure
 39.6
 0.67
 89.0
 0.63**
 9.9
 33.0**
Heat from the sun or fire
 27.8
 0.75
 81.0
 0.68**
 8.9
 31.0**
Airborne/exposure
 16.9
 0.41
 22.0
 0.14
 1.0
 2.0
Sanitation & hygiene
 58.4
 0.63
 90.0
 0.51**
 10.0
 11.0
Personal hygiene
 36.8
 0.78
 51.0
 0.65*
 5.0
 4.0
Sanitation
 25.9
 0.73
 30.0
 0.73
 4.0
 4.0
Playing on the ground
 21.9
 0.46
 43.0
 0.37**
 1.0
 0.0
Houseflies
 34.7
 0.14
 78.0
 0.13**
 0.0
 3.0*
Supernatural
 84.2
 0.35
 79.0
 0.04**
 19.8
 1.0**
Spirits
 78.3
 0.38
 63.0
 0.02**
 19.8
 1.0**
Evil eyes or sorcery
 50.4
 0.24
 41.0
 0.00**
 0.0
 0.0
Food and drink
 36.7
 0.38
 96.0
 0.41**
 2.0
 18.0**
Eating unbalanced diet
 0.0
 0.00
 17.0
 0.12**
 2.0
 3.0
Fatty/oily food
 26.8
 0.15
 84.0
 0.12**
 0.0
 8.0**
Eating unripe fruits
 12.9
 0.00
 72.0
 0.08
 0.0
 6.0**
Impure water
 11.8
 0.83
 31.0
 0.39**
 0.0
 1.0

1 Perceived causes analysed as groups (in bold) based on reported categories that follow.

*p ≤ 0.10 and ** p ≤ 0.05. Wilcoxon test for comparison of prominence of reported categories (2 = spontaneous, 1 = probed response, 0 = not reported), and Fisher's exact test for most important perceived causes.

2Column values indicate frequency of reported categories and the fraction of these reported spontaneously.

Ahorlu et al. Malaria Journal 2005 4:47   doi:10.1186/1475-2875-4-47