title: Prevalence of epilepsy, beliefs and attitudes in a rural community in Mexico: A door-to-door survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study aimed to establish the prevalence of seizure history (SH) and epilepsy in a rural community in Hidalgo, Mexico and determine the patients' beliefs and attitudes towards the disease and its initial medical treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A transverse, descriptive, door-to-door epidemiological study (April 2011-November 2012) was conducted with 863 inhabitants from Xocotitla, Huejutla, Hidalgo, Mexico (162 housing units). Patients with SH were identified with an adaptation of the WHO protocol for epidemiological studies of neurological diseases. Afterwards, the subjects identified with seizure history (SH) or epilepsy were interviewed with a 20-question Likert type questionnaire regarding the management and belief set of their SH. The interviews were conducted in Spanish and Nahuatl.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of epilepsy and isolated nonrecurring seizures was 38.2/1000 and 25.4/1000, respectively. Out of the total population of 863 inhabitants, 33/863 were identified with SH: only 39.3% were able to identify an epileptic seizure as such, 48.5% sought medical attention upon the first seizure, 33.3% used a traditional healer, 15.2% took no action, 3% sought a religious representative, 85% lacked any lab analysis, and 60% received no antiepileptic drugs. Only 39% received free local medical attention, 69.7% considered seizures and epilepsy to be a consequence of divine intervention, and 94% reported some type of discrimination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high prevalence of epilepsy and SH was found in this rural community in Mexico. Divine/religious beliefs, discrimination, scarce access to basic health services and inadequate medical management of epilepsy and SH persist.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Investigación Clínica, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Tlalpan, Mexico. Electronic address: pegaso31@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: San-Juan
authors.affiliation: División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Facultad de Medicina de Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Electronic address: alvarado_susi@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alvarado-León
authors.affiliation: División de Ciencias de la Salud, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico. Electronic address: jorgebadi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barraza-Díaz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Sonora, Hermosillo, Mexico. Electronic address: nedmerari@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ned Merari
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Davila-Avila
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico City, Mexico. Electronic address: hernax_4life@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Axel Hernandez
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Ruíz
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Epilepsy Center of Long Island, St. Charles Hospital, 200 Belle Terre Rd., Port Jefferson, NY 11777, USA.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Anschel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012640:Seizures / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology
keywords: Epilepsy; Perception; Rural; Seizures; Traditional medicine