Health experts link rise in epilepsy to poor antenatal care

Poor Antenatal care and parasites have been linked to high prevalence of Epilepsy in Kenya and sub Saharan Africa, according to a study published by researchers. The study received by Xinhua on Monday which was conducted by Kenya and Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana and South Africa revealed that epilepsy is significantly more prevalent in poorer countries and rural areas. The study, conducted at International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and Their Health (INDEPTH) demographic surveillance screened 586,607 residents and identified 1,711 that were diagnosed as having active convulsive epilepsy. These individuals, along with 2,033 who did not have epilepsy, were given a questionnaire to complete about their lifestyle habits. The team also took blood samples to test for exposure to malaria, HIV and four other parasitic diseases that are common in the developing world. Kenya's medical research institute KEMRI researcher Professor Charles Newton from the Welcome Trust Program said the study demonstrated that many cases of epilepsy could be entirely preventable with elimination of parasites in Africa. "In some areas parasites have been controlled. So in some areas the incidence of epilepsy could be reduced by 30-60 percent with appropriate control measures," Newton said. The team found that adults who had been exposed to parasitic diseases were 1.5-3 times more likely to have epilepsy than those who had not. Epilepsy has previously been linked with various parasitic infections but this is the first study to reveal the extent of the problem. In children, the greatest risk factors for developing epilepsy were complications associated with delivery and head injury. The study of over half a million people in five countries of sub-Saharan Africa is the first to reveal the true extent of the problem and the impact of different risk factors. Interventions to improve antenatal and post natal care could substantially reduce the prevalence of epilepsy in this region, said the researchers. The study focused on people with convulsive epilepsy as they are the most reliably detected and reported and there remains a substantial stigma attached to patients with the disease. "Facilities for diagnosis, treatment and on-going management of epilepsy are virtually non-existent in many of the world's poorest regions and so it's vital that we take these simple steps to try and prevent as many cases of this debilitating disease as possible, " Newton added. The findings of a study funded by the KEMRI Welcome Trust, with support from the University of the Witwatersrand and the South African Medical Research Council and published in the Medical Journal, the Lancet last week was forwarded to Xinhua on Monday. Medical experts who commented on the findings said epilepsy in the country and the region is high because stigma associated with the disease. Kenya Association of Welfare of People with Epilepsy's medical manager Charles Gachenia said epilepsy is still highly stigmatized because many communities believe it due to witchcraft and other curses and that it is contagious. "Many people do not believe in modern medicine and therefore will foremost seek help from a witchdoctor, a herbalist, offerings, and prayers. They only seek modern medicine when sometimes it's too late," said Gachenia. He said despite the disease being prevalent among the poor statistic over the prevalence is hard to get as hospitals lump it among others. "Hospital data on epilepsy is not prioritized but still lumped together in a column as'other conditions'. Most deaths occurring in the community are not routinely, Post mortem investigations are not routinely carried out so this makes it very difficult to ascertain the relationship between the deaths and epilepsy," said Gachenia. Nyanza director of Public Health and Sanitation Jackson Kioko said tackling Epilepsy has been difficult in health facilities since those affected are not brought for specialized treatment with relatives taking it as a curse. "Epilepsy in Kenya remains one of the neglected diseases and according to recent studies on it, two out of 100 Kenyans suffers from epilepsy but hardly turn up for medication," said Kioko. He also revealed that most of the health facilities lack enough equipment to handle cases of epilepsy.