In the second in a six part series on treating mental health problems in resource-poor settings, researchers Caroline Mbuba and Charles Newton discuss ‘packages of care’ for treating epilepsy.
The researchers are from the Centre for Geographic Medicine Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kilifi, Kenya.
Fits | Epilepsy | Convulsions - Causes Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment FAQs
Fits or convulsions or Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent, involuntary seizures and is described as a chronic neurological disorder
Fits or convulsions or Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent, involuntary seizures and is described as a chronic neurological disorder
Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disorder, affecting over 65 million people worldwide, of whom 80% are estimated to live in low- or middle-income countries (LMICs).
Anti-epileptic drugs are very effective in controlling seizures, say Mbuba and Newton, but most people with epilepsy in LMICs do not receive appropriate treatment. This "treatment gap," they say, is influenced by factors such as limited knowledge, poverty, cultural beliefs, stigma, poor health delivery infrastructure, and shortage of trained health care workers. The authors review research on ways to close this gap by improving the identification and treatment of people with epilepsy.
New Links Between Epilepsy and Brain Lipids
In mice that are missing a protein found only in the brain, neural signals go crazy, leaving the animals with epileptic seizures from a young age, researchers have found.
In mice that are missing a protein found only in the brain, neural signals go crazy, leaving the animals with epileptic seizures from a young age, researchers have found.
ARU
New Findings may Help Prevent Inheritance of Epilepsy
Scientists at the University of Leeds are reporting that epilepsy may be prevented from being passed down among families by silencing the gene which causes the condition.
Scientists at the University of Leeds are reporting that epilepsy may be prevented from being passed down among families by silencing the gene which causes the condition.
