Epilepsy Care in Latin America and the Caribbean: Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Opportunities

Clio Rubinos, Daniel San-Juan, Carlos Alva-Diaz, Jorge Burneo, Andres Fernandez, Luis Carlos Mayor-Romero, Jorge Vidaurre, Loreto Rios-Pohl, Maria Jose Bruzzone

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

The burden of epilepsy in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region causes a profound regional impact on the health care system and significantly contributes to the global epilepsy burden. As in many other resource-limited settings worldwide, health care professionals and patients with epilepsy in LAC countries face profound challenges due to a combination of factors, including high disease prevalence, stigmatization of epilepsy, disparities in access to care, limited resources, substantial treatment gaps, insufficient training opportunities for health care providers, and a diverse patient population with varying needs. This article presents an overview of the epidemiology of epilepsy and discusses the principal obstacles to epilepsy care and key contributors to the epilepsy diagnosis and treatment gap in the LAC region. We conclude by highlighting various initiatives across different LAC countries to improve epilepsy care in marginalized communities, listing strategies to mitigate treatment gaps and facilitate better health care access for patients with epilepsy by enhancing the epilepsy workforce.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)130-146
Number of pages17
JournalSeminars in Neurology
Volume44
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 17 Apr 2024

Keywords

  • Latin America
  • epilepsy
  • global
  • neurology
  • resource-limited settings

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