Herbal medicine uses to treat people with epilepsy: A survey in rural communities of northern Peru.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Epilepsy affects 150,000 people in Peru, with a prevalence of 16.6/1000 and a treatment gap of 75%. Herbal medicine (HM) is widely used in this country.

Epilepsy-associated levels of perceived stigma, their associations with treatment, and related factors: A cross-sectional study in urban and rural areas in Ecuador.

Background: Epilepsy is felt to be a stigmatizing condition. Stigma has been considered one of the major factors contributing to the burden of epilepsy and to the treatment gap. Stigma has a negative effect on the management of people with epilepsy (PWE).

Availability and cost of major and first-line antiepileptic drugs: a comprehensive evaluation in the capital of Madagascar.

Background: The prevalence of epilepsy is high in Madagascar (23.5/1000), as is the treatment gap (estimated at 92 %). The health system of the country is underfunded; some AEDs are used, and the national drug policy does not encourage price regulation or the administration of generic agents.

Overview of accessibility and quality of antiepileptic drugs in Madagascar.

Purpose: To determine the accessibility of treatment and the quality of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in the Haute Matsiatra district of Madagascar.

Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study and interviews. Samples of 10 units of each available AED were collected, and the active ingredient was quantified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with photodiode-array UV detection.