Browsing by Author "Furlan, Anthony"

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Community Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Epilepsy in Rural and Urban Mukono District, Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study
(Elsevier, 2016-01) Kaddumukasa, Mark; Kakooza, Angelina; Kayima, James; Kaddumukasa, N. Martin; Ddumba, Edward; Mugenyi, Levi; Furlan, Anthony; Lhatoo, Samden; Sajatovic, Martha; Katabira, Elly
Introduction: The lack of adequate knowledge poses a barrier in the provision of appropriate treatment and care of patients with epilepsy within the community. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge of and attitude towards epilepsy and its treatment by community dwellers in Uganda. Methods: A cross sectional population survey was conducted in urban and rural Mukono district, central Uganda. Adult respondents through multistage stratified sampling were interviewed about selected aspects of epilepsy knowledge, attitudes, and perception using a pretested structured questionnaire. Results: Ninety-one percent of the study respondents had heard or read about epilepsy or knew someone who had epilepsy and had seen someone having a seizure. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents did not know the cause of epilepsy, while 29% cited genetic causes. About seventeen percent of the subjects believed that epilepsy is contagious. Only 5.6% (21/377) of the respondents would take a patient with epilepsy to hospital for treatment. Conclusion: Adults in Mukono are very acquainted with epilepsy but have many erroneous beliefs about the condition. Negative attitudes are pervasive within communities in Uganda. The national epilepsy awareness programs need to clarify the purported modes of transmission of epilepsy, available treatment options, and care offered during epileptic seizures during community sensitizations in our settings.
Global Medical Education Partnerships to Expand Specialty Expertise: A Case Report on Building Neurology Clinical and Research Capacity
(BMC , CAMPUS, 4 CRINAN ST, LONDON, ENGLAND, N1 9XW, 2014-12-30) Kaddumukasa, Mark; Katabira, Elly; Salata, A. Robert; Costa, A Marco; Ddumba, Edward; Furlan, Anthony; Kakooza-Mwesige, Angelina; Kamya, R Moses; Kayima, James; Longenecker, T Chris; Mayanja-Kizza, Harriet; Mondo, Charles; Moore, Shirley; Pundik, Svetlana; Sewankambo, Nelson; Simon, I Daniel; Smyth, A Kathleen; Sajatovic, Martha
Background: Neurological disorders are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan African, but resources for their management are scarce. Collaborations between training institutions in developed and resource-limited countries can be a successful model for supporting specialty medical education and increasing clinical and research capacity. Case report: This report describes a US National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) to enhance expertise in neurology, developed between Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala, Uganda, and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH, USA. This collaborative model is based on a successful medical education and research model that has been developed over the past two decades. The Ugandan and US teams have accumulated knowledge and 'lessons learned' that facilitate specialty expertise in neurological conditions, which are widespread and associated with substantial disability in resource-limited countries. Strengths of the model include a focus on community health care settings and a strong research component. Key elements include strong local leadership; use of remote technology, templates to standardize performance; shared exchanges; mechanisms to optimize sustainability and of dissemination activities that expand impact of the original initiative. Efficient collaborations are further enhanced by external and institutional support, and can be sequentially refined. Conclusion: Models such as the Makerere University College of Health Sciences - Case Western Reserve University partnership may help other groups initiate collaborative education programmes and establish successful partnerships that may provide the opportunity to expand to other chronic diseases. A benefit of collaboration is that learning is two-directional, and interaction with other international medical education collaborators is likely to be of benefit to thelarger global health community.
Prevalence and Incidence of Neurological Disorders Among Adult Ugandans in Rural and Urban Mukono District; A Cross-Sectional Study
(BMC , CAMPUS, 4 CRINAN ST, LONDON, ENGLAND, N1 9XW, 2016-11-17) Kaddumukasa, Mark; Mugenyi, Levi; Kaddumukasa, N. Martin; Ddumba, Edward; Devereaux, Michael; Furlan, Anthony; Sajatovic, Martha; Katabira, Elly
Background: The burden of neurological diseases is increasing in developing countries. However, there is a prominent scarcity of literature on the incidence of neurological diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. This study was therefore undertaken to determine the prevalence and incidence of neurological diseases in this setting to serve as a baseline for planning and care for neurological disorders in Uganda. Methods: The study was conducted within rural and urban Mukono district, east of Kampala city of Uganda, central region. Over a period of six months, a cross sectional survey was conducted and screening was performed using a standardized questionnaire. All subjects with neurological symptoms and signs were reviewed by a team of neurologists and neurological diagnoses made. Results: Of the 3000 study subjects, 50.3% (1510/3000) were from the rural setting. Out of the participants screened, 67.4% were female, with a median age of 33 years. Among the 98 subjects with confirmed neurological disorders, the frequency of diseases was as follows; peripheral neuropathy (46.2%), chronic headaches (26.4%), and epilepsy (8.5%), followed by pain syndromes (7.5%), stroke (6.6%) and tremors/Parkinson disease (3.8%). The crude prevalence rates of these disorders (95% CI) were 14.3% (8.5–24.1); 13.3% (7.7–22.8); 33.7% (23.9–47.4) for stroke, epilepsy and peripheral neuropathy respectively. Peripheral neuropathy followed by chronic headaches had the highest estimated incidence/1000 years. Stroke had an estimated incidence of 3.6 new cases with 95% CI of (2.1–6.1)/1000 years. Conclusion: Peripheral neuropathy, chronic headaches and epilepsy disorders are major causes of morbidity in Sub-Saharan settings. There is an urgent need of more robust and powered studies to determine the incidence of these diseases.