Caroline Kathomi Mbuba

Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disorder, affecting approximately 50 million people worldwide, of whom 40 million are estimated to live in resource poor countries (RPC). It is associated with psychosocial problems, social isolation and decreased life expectancy. Although antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are effective in controlling seizures, up to 90% of people with epilepsy (PWE) in RPC do not receive appropriate treatment for their condition, a phenomenon known as the treatment gap (TG).

In Kilifi DSS, 86% of PWE are not receiving appropriate treatment indicating that the epilepsy TG in this community is similar to that in other studies in RPC. Therefore, the main theme of our group's research is to understand the reasons why PWE don't seek treatment. We are also keen to establish why they don't adhere to AEDs. By so doing we hope to come up with appropriate interventions that will narrow the epilepsy TG in Kilifi.

Current project

We are currently recruiting 740 PWE and their caregivers to evaluate the efficacy of an education intervention that is designed to reduce the epilepsy TG in Kilifi. The intervention will also target medical providers and traditional healers. We hope to improve knowledge about epilepsy regarding: causes, types of epilepsy, diagnosis, purpose of treatment, types of AEDs, possible side effects of AEDs, what to do during a seizure, social and vocational consequences of seizures. It is anticipated that better understanding of the disease will reduce specific fears regarding epilepsy and improve quality of life of PWE.