Publications by authors named "Ugyen Dema"
Article Synopsis
- In Bhutan, over 50% of women with epilepsy do not receive adequate treatment, contrasting sharply with less than 10% treatment gaps in wealthier nations.
- The study aimed to evaluate the quality of epilepsy care for women of childbearing age using the QUIET tool, focusing on those with active epilepsy in different regions of Bhutan.
- The research included 82 women, revealing a significant prevalence of seizures and a high usage of antiseizure medications, indicating concerns regarding the adequacy of care and accessibility of treatment in the country.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the possible contributions of seizure burden, sleep quality, and social integration to depression among people with epilepsy (PWE) in Bhutan.
Methods: Bhutan is a lower-middle-income country in Southeast Asia with a public healthcare system without neurologists. People with epilepsy were prospectively recruited from psychiatrist-run epilepsy clinics at the National Referral Hospital in the capital city of Thimphu.
Objective: To assess the economic impact of epilepsy in Bhutan, a lower-middle-income country with a universal health care system, but with limited access to neurological care.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted of patients with epilepsy at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuk National Referral Hospital from January to August 2016. Data were collected on clinical features, cost of care, impact of epilepsy on school or work and household economic status of participants and matched comparisons (a sibling or neighbour from a household without epilepsy).
Background: People with epilepsy (PWE) in low- and middle-income countries may not access the health resources that are considered optimal for epilepsy diagnosis. The diagnostic yield of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has not been well studied in these settings.
Objectives: To report the diagnostic yield of brain MRI and identify clinical associations of abnormal MRI findings among PWE in a neurocysticercosis-endemic, resource-limited setting and to identify the proportion and putative structural brain causes of drug-resistant epilepsy.
Introduction: Reports on the reproductive health of women with epilepsy (WWE) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are limited. Bhutan is a lower income country with a high estimated prevalence of epilepsy and no out-of-pocket payment requirements for health visits or medications.
Methods: We developed a 10-category survey to interview WWE ages 20-59 years in the Kingdom of Bhutan to understand their contraceptive use and peripartum experiences.
Objective: The objective of this study was to report the impact of chronic abuse of Areca catechu nut wrapped in leaf (also known as doma, quid, paan), the fourth most commonly abused psychoactive substance worldwide, on the frequency of seizures among people with epilepsy.
Methods: People with clinically diagnosed epilepsy (>14years old) residing in the Kingdom of Bhutan were surveyed for self-reported Areca catechu use, demographic variables, epilepsy characteristics, and seizure frequency. The relationship between seizure frequency in the prior month and chewing Areca catechu, adjusted for various confounders, was analyzed using multivariable regression models.