ABSTRACT
Neurological services are very limited in Ethiopia. Two neurological units operate within the medical departments of major hospitals in Addis Ababa. Infections of the central nervous system are the commonest neurological disorders in Ethiopia, as they are in many developing countries. The prevalence of neurological complications of skeletal fluorosis is increasing in Ethiopia due to rapid population growth in the Rift Valley and other lowland areas where fluorosis is endemic. Neurosyphilis has been found to be rare in Ethiopia. Next to infection of the central nervous system, epilepsy is the most prevalent nontraumatic neurological disorder in Africa. Unfortunately, most of the studies on mental retardation in Africa have been based on institutionalized retarded children, who may not represent the actual situation in African communities. A hospital-based study in Nigeria pointed out that the primary etiological factors in peripheral neuropathies were Guillain-Barre syndrome, diabetes mellitus, nutrition deficiencies, malignancy, and leprosy.
