Authors: Valeria Todaro, Loretta Giuliano, Calogero Edoardo Cicero, Ludovica Spina, Chiara Colli, Senovia Cuellar, Francesco Cosmi, Estela Vilte, Alessandro Bartoloni, Elizabeth Blanca Crespo Gómez, Alessandra Nicoletti
The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of epilepsy with Tonic-Clonic (TC) seizures in rural areas of the Bolivian Gran Chaco and to evaluate the usefulness of telemedicine in this context. Research was carried out in the Isozo Area of southern-eastern Bolivia, where a survey was conducted with rural community members. Trained CHWs also administered a three-stage screening intervention to evaluate the usefulness of telemedicine in this context. The results of this study demonstrated a significant change in epilepsy prevalence from the population aged 20-29 years, without significant differences between women and men. For almost 50% of the screened positive subjects, epilepsy was confirmed by a neurologist at stage III through simple video consultation. In addition to these prevalence estimates being close to those reported for LMICs, these findings suggest that CHW-led screening, video consultation, and specific apps may be valuable and effective tools in epidemiological research.
Link: Prevalence of epilepsy in the rural area of the Bolivian Gran Chaco: Usefulness of telemedicine and impact of awareness campaigns
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Resource Topic: CHW, Epilepsy, Telemedicine
Resource Type: Research
Year: 2023
Region: Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
Country: Bolivia
Publisher May Restrict Access: No