‘Prevalence of epilepsy nears 1% of population’
The people believe that epilepsy is not a treatable disease, he said, adding that the situation is even worse for women, as 90% of the epileptic women do not have access to any treatment. DESIGN: OMER ASIM
About nine out of every 1,000 people in Pakistan are affected by epilepsy and the prevalence rate of nearly one per cent is very high, medical experts pointed out on Monday.
Speaking on the occasion of a walk organised to mark the World Epilepsy Day, they said the main cause of the disease was high blood pressure, diabetes and brain tumour, while effective measures could be used to control it.
Provincial Caretaker Minister for Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Prof Javed Akram led the walk organised at the Punjab Institute of Neurosciences (PINS).
He said there was an urgent need to promote research in the medical schools of the province. He said a grand operation was under way in Punjab against quacks.
Dr Khalid Mahmood and Prof Mohsin Zaheer said epilepsy was one of the major neurological diseases in the world, which was caused by a disorder in the brain cells and the patients had its occasional spells. They added that the care of a patient became a permanent responsibility of the family.
The doctors said the availability of modern medicines had made it possible to treat epilepsy in a better way. Due to modern trends in neuro-medical sciences, it is important to create awareness about the diagnosis of epilepsy so that people can seek treatment from an authorised doctor.
They said the patients should keep the medicines prescribed by theirs doctor at all times, wear a band about the illness and take the medicines in case of stroke.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2023.