SPECTRUM OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS IN NEUROLOGY OUTPATIENT CLINIC IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITALS OF NORTHERN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Background: Neurological diseases constitute a rising public health burden in Pakistan, while region-specific evidence from Northern Pakistan is limited. The aim of this study was to describe the spectrum, treatment patterns, and comorbidities of neurological illnesses in a tertiary care outpatient clinic.

Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 135 de-identified patient records from neurology clinics in 2024–2025 were used. Structured Excel databases were used to extract data on demographics, diagnoses, treatments and investigations. Disorders were classified and descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were run on SPSS v26.

Results: There were 57.8% females in the cohort, with highest prevalence between the ages of 31–50 years (41.5%). Epilepsy was the leading diagnosis (31.1%), followed by stroke (20.7%) and headache disorders (18.5%). The analysis of treatment showed valproate as the leading prescribed drug (28.1%), whereas 64.3% of patients with stroke had uncontrolled hypertension. Significant gender differences were noted, with hemifacial spasm being 4 times more common in females (20.5% vs. 7.0% males, *p*=0.03). Utilization of neuroimaging was high (49.6%), while more recent anti-seizure drugs were underutilized (11.9% of epilepsy cases). 

Conclusion: This report points to a disproportionate epilepsy and stroke burden in Northern Pakistan, compounded by systemic gaps in comorbidity care and gender-related barriers to care. The evidence points to the imperative for integrated neurology-primary care systems and treatment protocols that are site-specific in low-resource environments.