The impact of epilepsy on the quality of life of people with epilepsy in Zimbabwe: A pilot study*

Mielke, Jens; Sebit, M B; Adamolekun, Bola

doi:10.1053/seiz.1999.0377

Cited by 27 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Consistent findings from epidemiologic studies of epilepsy in developing countries indicate that both the prevalence and, unfortunately, the treatment gap, defined as the number of individuals with epilepsy who remain untreated with antiepileptic drugs, for epilepsy is typically higher in rural than urban areas of the same country (5–8). For example, reports from Brazil indicate the rural treatment gap is 67% versus 38% in urban areas.…”

Section: The Burden Of Epilepsy In the Developing Worldmentioning

confidence: 92%

Epilepsy Care in Developing Countries: Part I of II

Birbeck

2010

Epilepsy Curr

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The Burden of Epilepsy in the Developing WorldEpilepsy affects approximately 50 million people worldwide, with 80% of these individuals residing in developing regions. Epilepsy accounts for about 1% of the global burden of disease (1,2). To understand many of the issues inevitably encountered in providing services for a chronic condition in a developing country, some important realities must be appreciated, some of which will be detailed here in Part I.Almost universally, developing countries have marked inequalities in the distribution of health care resources (3). Health care in private, settings of these countries may be relatively equivalent to first-world care, but care for the poor is virtually nonexistent. Inequities in the distribution of public services favoring urban regions are also problematic. For example, South Africa has two parallel health care systems-one public and one private. The private health care system serves approximately Address correspondence to Gretchen L. Birbeck, MD, MPH, DTMH, FAAN, Director-Epilepsy Care Team, Chikankata Hospital, Private Bag S2, Mazabuka, Zambia. E-mail: Gretchen.birbeck@hc.msu.edu 15% of the population, but it accounts for 57% of health care dollars spent. The private system employs 65% of all health care workers and an even greater proportion of specialists; for instance, 75% of neurologists are employed entirely within the private sector. Access to technological aspects of care is also extremely unequally distributed, as 73% of EEG machines, 91% of CT scanners, and 94% of MRIs are owned by the private sector (4). In South Africa, epilepsy care within a top-ranked private urban facility differs a great deal from epilepsy care provision in an urban slum or rural village.Consistent findings from epidemiologic studies of epilepsy in developing countries indicate that both the prevalence and, unfortunately, the treatment gap, defined as the number of individuals with epilepsy who remain untreated with antiepileptic drugs, for epilepsy is typically higher in rural than urban areas of the same country (5-8). For example, reports from Brazil indicate the rural treatment gap is 67% versus 38% in urban areas. The higher treatment gap is understandable since medical infrastructure, resources, and personnel are largely focused in urban regions. Prevalence differentials are less understandable. It is possible that the lack of medical infrastructure results in greater exposure to common risk factors for epilepsy, such as birth injury as a result of suboptimal antenatal care. Alternatively, urban dwellers that develop epilepsy may be sent back to "stay in the village," where lack of formal employment and a broader network of family members may be perceived as being a more optimal environment for caring for someone with recurrent seizures. Thus, it is difficult to assess with certainty the underlying reasons for the higher prevalence rates of epilepsy in rural areas of developing countries.While the treatment gap is a very useful global measure for assessing epilepsy care in ...

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Section: The Burden Of Epilepsy In the Developing Worldmentioning

confidence: 92%

Epilepsy Care in Developing Countries: Part I of II

Birbeck

2010

Epilepsy Curr

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“…Similarly, they help to break down fears mothers in developing countries have about their children's abilities and vulnerabilities (Pal, 2003). Locally, community support groups initiated by the Epilepsy Support Foundation (ESF) enable people with epilepsy and their caregivers to find emotional and practical assistance in the form of medical care and incomegenerating projects (Mielke et al, 2000).…”

Section: Use Of Community Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In items 1 and 2, caregivers were asked, BDo you belong to an epilepsy support group? [ (Austin et al, 2004;Mielke et al, 2000) and BDo you belong to any religious or worship group? [ (Mrabet et al, 2004;Saburi et al, 2006), respectively.…”

Section: Use Of Community Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stressors of Caregivers of School-Age Children With Epilepsy and Use of Community Resources

Saburi

2011

Journal of Neuroscience Nursing

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Childhood epilepsy causes multiple stressors, difficulty in adjustment, and disruptions in family relations. This study sought to identify stressors of caregivers of school-age children and to assess whether use of community resources alleviates or contributes to caregiver stress. Stressors refer to concern about the child, communication with healthcare providers, changes in family relationships, interaction with school, and support within the community. A caregiver refers to the person who had looked after the child for the past 6-12 months. Support groups, religious or worship groups, counseling services, and traditional and spiritual faith healers were the community resources that were addressed. Face-to-face interviews were conducted on a convenience sample of 46 caregivers. A three-part structured interview schedule was used to describe demographic data, stressors of caregivers, and use of community resources. The top 6 stressors were the inability to get antiepileptic drugs, the deep pain or sadness caused by the child's seizures, caregiving (which was predominantly by mothers), limited help from the extended family, inadequate information on side effects of drugs, and inadequate information on seizures. The most commonly used community resource was religious or worship groups, with epilepsy support groups being least used. To alleviate caregiver stress, it is important that healthcare providers routinely assess the effect of seizures on caregivers and refer those requiring counseling, advocate for more male and extended family involvement in caregiving and provide adequate information on side effects of drugs and on seizures as standard practice. Nurses in developed countries should incorporate religious activities among complementary and alternative medicine interventions to reduce caregiver stress. Spiritual faith healers should be encouraged to refer clients with epilepsy for drug therapy and counseling.

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“…The UN regards albinism as a genetic disorder which is embedded with visual and skin impairments (UN report, 2013). In Zimbabwe, epilepsy is regarded as an impairment which results in psychosocial impairment (Mielke, Sebit, & Adamolekun, 2000). The World Health…”

Section: Nature Of Impairmentmentioning

confidence: 99%