Ocular Motor Cranial Nerve Palsy as an Indicator of Neglected Systemic Disease in Nigeria: Perspective from a Neuro-Ophthalmology Clinic

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article from Nigeria is to draw attention to public health issues in medical care using ocular motor cranial nerve palsy (OMCNP) presenting to a neuro-ophthalmology clinic as a case study. All patients presenting with OMCNP between November 2007 and October 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic details as well as information regarding the clinical presentation, clinical course, investigation, and treatment outcomes were extracted from case records. Phone calls were made to the contact numbers of patients who had been lost to follow-up. Data were analysed using SPSS version 22 (IBM, Corp. Armonk, NY, USA). Cranial nerve palsies other than oculomotor, trochlear, and abducens palsies were excluded. Fifty-nine patients, comprising 28 males and 31 females, were identified. Age range was 1–84 years (median 43.0 ± 19.7 years). Fifty-one cases (93.2%) were mono neuropathies, while four (6.8%) affected multiple nerves. Oculomotor nerve palsy was most common, accounting for 57.6% of cases. Microvascular angiopathy was the commonest identifiable cause (25.6%). Aetiology was not identified in 16 cases. There were three (5.1%) deaths. Undiagnosed systemic disease appears to be a major risk factor for this patient group in this African setting. Patient investigation was problematic. Poor patient compliance and follow-up resulted in preventable deaths. Neuro-ophthalmologists practicing in low resource settings should be aware of these risks.

KEYWORDS:

• Ocular motor cranial nerve palsy
• oculomotor nerve
• abducens nerve
• trochlear nerve
• microvascular ischaemia
• hypertension
• healthcare financing