Demographic and social profile of epilepsy in a vulnerable low-income population in Bogotá, Colombia. / Perfil demográfico y social de la epilepsia en una población vulnerable y de bajos recursos económicos en Bogotá, Colombia.

INTRODUCTION: Very few studies describe the demographic and social profile of epilepsy in vulnerable low-income populations. METHODS: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study prospectively recording data from all patients diagnosed with epilepsy who attended a specialist neurology consultation between January and March 2014. Data were analysed using descriptive epidemiology tools. RESULTS: A total of 107 patients were evaluated, of whom 24.2% were illiterate and only 10.2% had completed a higher education programme. Most of the patients (86.8%) had a low socioeconomic status; 73.8% were single and 76.7% were unemployed. The main risk factors for epilepsy in this population were recorded as follows: delayed psychomotor development (n=24, 22.4%), head trauma (n=16, 14.9%), and central nervous system infection (n=13, 12.1%). Most patients (70.1%) responded to antiepileptic drugs (controlled cases) and 15.4% (n=15) had drug-resistant epilepsy (refractory cases). CONCLUSION: The demographic and clinical profiles of the patients included in this study resemble those published for high-income populations; differences are mostly limited to aetiological classification and risk factors. The social profile of the patients evaluated in this study shows high rates of unemployment, illiteracy, and single marital status. These findings seem to be more frequent and prevalent in this group than in high income populations.

Economy, politics, and health status in Cuba.

An economic contraction occurred in Cuba at the beginning of the 1990s, of a magnitude greater than in any developed country in the last half century. This resulted primarily from the disappearance of the European socialist bloc and simultaneous tightening of the U.S. government's blockade at a time when Cuba was engaged in correcting its main economic problems. The economic crisis affected a number of areas of Cuban society. The state adopted a series of measures to cope with the socioeconomic situation, which have yielded positive results in the social and economic fields, as well as some undesirable results. In the health sector, the economic crisis has mainly reduced the availability of resources and has adversely affected some health determinants and some aspects of the population's health status. Despite the prevailing economic difficulties, the government is determined to preserve the country's achievements in health, and to develop them still further. The solution is not privatization or the introduction of health insurance systems or similar measures. Rather, Cuba will seek greater rationality and economic efficiency in the health sector. It has ratified the principles that the state should continue to finance the health system and maintain universal coverage and accessibility through free services.