Archives: Neurological Conditions

Released by The Lancet Commission on Reframing NCDs and Injuries for the Poorest Billion (The Lancet NCDI Poverty Commission) in September 2020, this landmark report highlights key findings and recommendations demonstrating the magnitude and pattern of the NCDI burden in several low and low-middle income countries (LLMICs) in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and South Asia as well as emphasizing the disparities existing in care and resources available for NCDs and injuries.

Meet Tigist Tigist Gebeyas is 20 years old and lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with her brother Lidetu and her parents. She began having seizures when she was nine years old, but it was unclear to her family and doctors what was causing them. Following a severe burn accident, additional tests diagnosed Lidetu with epilepsy. […]

This article presents findings from the Cameroon Essential Health Intervention Project (CENHIP), which piloted nurse-led clinics at the primary health care level for the management of NCDs, including asthma, epilepsy, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. In addition to the published analysis of the pilot clinics and accompanying nurse training program, the authors include example patient forms and assessment tools that were used through the program.

This article outlines a care delivery plan for mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) disorders to implement at the national level. Recommendations are based on the author's experiences in with scaling up services through task-shifting and integrated strategies.

Produced as a background report in preparation of a WHO Planning Meeting on the Global Initiative for Treatment of Chronic Diseases held in Cairo in December 2005, this analysis investigates the global price, availability, and affordability of chronic disease medicines for asthma, hypertension, diabetes, epilepsy, and psychiatric disorders. The report also provides national and international policy recommendations.

This article investigates the burden of disease and associated risk factors for epilepsy, specific to sub-Saharan Africa and some of the poorest regions in the world. The authors also advocate for the need for innovative solutions to address the barriers faced by people living with epilepsy in resource-poor settings.

In this study, the authors have determined the comprehensive costs of implementing a national epilepsy care program in Zambia using WHO Mental Health Gap Action Program (mhGAP) clinical guidelines to scale up epilepsy care and decrease the treatment gap in a low income country. Because the health system structure and infrastructural costs of Zambia are fairly typical of the region, it is expected this study could provide insights and serve as a costing template for other sub-Saharan African countries.

This article analyzes the relevance of the evidence-based epilepsy care guidelines developed by the WHO's mental health Gap Action Program (GAP) for use in low and middle income countries, and recommends for successful implementation of the guidelines through local adaptation for use within individual countries. Sociocultural and financial barriers should be considered as well as primary health care system gaps.

This workshop summary synthesizes discussions and findings from the Jan 2014 IOM Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders, held in Addis Ababa. The workshop brought key stakeholders together to discuss opportunities for achieving long-term affordable access to medicines for mental, neurological, and substance use disorders in sub-Saharan Africa.

This commentary published in The Lancet outlines the need for mental health services among the world's poorest populations and heralds a call for the inclusion of mental health into priorities for global health.