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The global burden of epilepsy is shouldered by the developing world:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)61646-8/fulltext
This is why I see epilepsy as sanitation issue. Please take a look at this gut-brain poster I produced nearly three years ago, Sanitation Is Sanity:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?....246428715601.298680.518250601&type=1&theater
Many people with epilepsy and their families do not know that the disorder can be controlled with medical treatment, so seek help through traditional medicine practitioners, particularly for seizures involving sensory or psychic phenomena.
It doesn't say that epilepsy rates are higher in Africa, because they are not.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120927205459.htmthere are twice as many people living with epilepsy in low- and lower-middle-income countries than higher income nations
Infectious causes of seizures and epilepsy in the developing worldOf the estimated 50 million people with epilepsy world-wide, 40 million live in developing countries (World Health Organization [WHO])1 and about half of these are children.
but fear you're misconstruing the issue. The point I'm making is that epilepsy rates are indeed higher in the developing world by far.
Despite being one of the most cost-effective disorders to treat, there are twice as many people living with epilepsy in low- and lower-middle-income countries than higher income nations and more than 60% of those affected in these regions are not accessing any appropriate treatment.
Over four-fifths of the 50 million people with epilepsy are thought to be in developing countries; much of this
condition results from preventable causes
Children are born with the parasite, infected during pregnancy. It's kept in check by the immune system until something like poor sanitation or vaccination tips the balance. [/url]
In other words, the situation is not tipped by poor sanitation or vaccination. The existing cerebral malaria causes direct trauma to the brain.up to one third of children with cerebral malaria will leave hospital with a neurological disability like epilepsy.
African children, coma develops suddenly with seizure onset often, following 1-3 days of fever. A few children develop coma following progressive weakness and prostration. Brain swelling, intracranial hypertension, retinal changes (hemorrhages, peripheral and macular whitening, vessel discoloration and or papilledema) and brainstem signs (abnormalities in posture, pupil size and reaction, ocular movements or abnormal respiratory patterns) are commonly observed. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3056312/
Here's recent news about India and how poor sanitation results in "malnutrition" which is actually malabsorption syndrome due to intestinal imbalance. These same gut imbalances cause seizure.
Do the math: We account for 80% of the global population and four fifths (80%) of the epileptic population. Makes sense, no?
http://www.prb.org/Publications/Dat...n-data-sheet/fact-sheet-world-population.aspxThere are an estimated 50 million people with epilepsy in the world, of whom up to 75% live in resource-poor countries with little to or no access to medical services or treatment.
It depends on how you view that 80% of the global population which is divided by Least Developed Nations, Less Developed Nations and More Developed Nations. In More Developed Nations, epilepsy rates are already shockingly high at 1 in 100 (UK and Canada) which is not surprisingly the same as the Celiac Disease rate. But if you believe those rates apply to Least Developed Nations, please think again. I've read 80 percent of the world's stunted children live in just 20 countries. This is not a world of equality where this inequality also applies to epilepsy.
India: Studies from different parts of India reveal that the prevalence varies from 8.8/1000 in
Bangalore to 3/1000 near Calcutta.
Sri Lanka: In a survey in the Kandy district of Sri Lanka, 9 out of 1000 people had epilepsy.
Thailand: A survey of rural Thailand reported a prevalence of 7.2/1000.
Bangladesh: Though there are no national statistics, it is estimated that there are at least 1.5–
2.0 million people with epilepsy in Bangladesh, ie about 12 people with epilepsy per 1000
population.
Other SEAR Member Countries: The prevalence is probably similar in other SEAR countries
as they share similar socio-cultural and demographic characteristics. By applying these figures
to local populations, it is possible to know the approximate number of people requiring treatment
in any given geographical area.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(04)00963-9/fulltextData on the incidence of and prognosis for epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa are scarce, but prevalence data show that epilepsy is two or three times more common than in industrialise countries in non-tropical areas.
An unknown quantity—The worldwide prevalence of epilepsyWe suspected that epilepsy prevalence might be uniform throughout the world, whereas incidence is higher in resource-poor countries.
So, you actually believe epilepsy rates are the same for the poorest nation in Africa and the USA? I wouldn't believe that for a moment.
The rate is "5.2 to 74.4 per 1,000 person-years in sub-Saharan Africa."
Quote :
[/url]We suspected that epilepsy prevalence might be uniform throughout the world, whereas incidence is higher in resource-poor countries.
The reported incidence (rate of new cases in a population)
prevalence rates (proportion of the population with epilepsy).
We suspected that epilepsy prevalence might be uniform throughout the world, whereas incidence is higher in resource-poor countries. We found that the range of estimated prevalence of epilepsy may be broadly similar throughout the world, but comparison is limited by lack of door-to-door studies in high-income economies and by variations in the definitions of active epilepsy. We contend that any inconsistencies between incidence and prevalence are due largely to the excess premature death rate in people with epilepsy in lower-income economies.
So, you actually believe epilepsy rates are the same for the poorest nation in Africa and the USA? I wouldn't believe that for a moment.
That is between .5% and 7%. In other words almost 1 in 100, or almost 1%, same as in developed countries. (?)
Data on the incidence of and prognosis for epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa are scarce, but prevalence data show that epilepsy is two or three times more common than in industrialise countries in non-tropical areas.
So what they're saying is "We had a suspicion that there were more active/morbid cases of epilepsy in the developing world, so we Google-searched Pubmed, and found that we were wrong, and that epilepsy rates were the same in the developing and developed world."
The quotation:That's not what they're saying at all. They stated the opposite, please re-read the quote. They're saying that, like you, they suspected epilepsy rates were the same throughout the world, but the data proved them wrong. What they found were higher rates in the developing world. Then they tried to defend their original premise by stating the limitations of prevalence studies.
We found that the range of estimated prevalence of epilepsy may be broadly similar throughout the world,
You misread this quote: "The rate is "5.2 to 74.4 per 1,000 person-years in sub-Saharan Africa."
At the high end of 74.4 per 1,000 that's 7.4 in 100, a staggering figure compared to developed countries.
That's why the researchers stated an average:
Sanitation-challenged nations suffer far more epilepsy. The same is likely true for diabetes and obesity, but the world hasn't yet commonly associated sanitation with these major health issues. It's not even proven yet that diabetes is caused by microbial imbalance of the gut, but tons of evidence is mounting quickly.
The members of the Commission conducted a systematic review of the literature on the development and application of the treatment gap and resource availability measures in assessing epilepsy care. In order to identify relevant articles we searched three databases: Ovid Medline, EBSCO MEDLINE, and PubMed. We also searched for online articles using the Scirus scientific information search engine, as well as Google. Search keywords pertaining to epilepsy epidemiology, health care assessment, needs assessment, economic evaluation, and health planning were used alone and in combination. In addition, all issues of Epilepsia and Epilepsy Research since 1980 were reviewed for relevant titles.