Demographic and social profile of epilepsy in a vulnerable low-income population in Bogota, 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. (C) 2014 Sociedad Espanola de Neurologia. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.