PAHO raises concern about lack of epilepsy treatment

The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) is reporting that more than half the number of people living with epilepsy in Latin America and the Caribbean do not receive treatment.

Epilepsy commonly called ‘fits’ is a neurological disorder that causes recurrent seizures lasting between a few seconds to a few minutes.

It affects persons of all ages and may be caused by brain damage or genetics.

In a 2018 study by PAHO, it was reported that there are approximately five million people living with epilepsy in the region, but only one out of every three countries had a programme in place for treating the disease.  

Along with the shortage of treatment facilities for epilepsy, the study also revealed that there was a lack of trained medical personnel, unavailability of medicine at the primary health care level and the lack of information and education on epilepsy.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is calling for countries to implement the management of epilepsy in primary health care systems and recommends that countries introduce epilepsy prevention strategies to increase awareness about the disease.

“People who have epilepsy but do not receive treatment suffer recurrent episodes. This can affect their studies, their work, and quality of life for both them and their families,” said Claudina Cayetano, PAHO’s Regional Advisor on Mental Health said in a statement.

“Timely diagnosis, adequate treatment, healthy diet and stress management can ensure that up to 70 per cent of those affected have reduced episodes and can lead full and active lives,” she added.

The study showed that the availability of basic antiepileptic drugs at the primary health care level is an effective way of controlling the disease.

Epilepsy in numbers
 
· 50 million people in the world have epilepsy, 5 million of whom live in the Region of the Americas.
· Epilepsy accounts for 0.5% of the global burden of disease. 80% of that burden corresponds to developing countries.
· Two million new cases occur every year in the world.
· The number of new cases in developing countries is twice that registered in developed countries.
· Mortality rates among those with epilepsy are higher than the general population.
· The epilepsy mortality rate in Latin America and the Caribbean is 1.04 per 100,000 inhabitants, higher than the 0.50 per 100,000 inhabitants in the United States and Canada.
· 70% of affected people can be treated with basic drugs, and only around 10% require a specialised approach with diet or surgery.
· There are around 20% of complex cases that do not respond to treatment.
· It is estimated that, if treatment coverage with antiepileptic drugs is extended to 50% of cases, the current global epilepsy burden, would be reduced by 13% to 40%.
· Two thirds of countries of Latin America and the Caribbean do not have a program for the comprehensive care of people with epilepsy.
. 80% of countries in the Region do not have appropriate legislation regarding epilepsy.

We want to hear from you! Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169, email us at editors@gleanerjm.com or onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com.