150,000 Pinoys suffering from epilepsy

An estimated 150,000 Filipinos are suffering from epilepsy, a neurological disorder that some people still associate with spirit possession, experts said yesterday.

"When an epileptic is having a seizure, some people think that he is being possessed by evil spirits or supernatural forces. They get afraid. We want to correct this myth," said Dr. Marilyn Hebron-Ortiz, head of the child neuroscience division of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center and a member of the Philippine League Against Epilepsy (PLAE).

Founded in 1997, PLAE celebrates this week the fourth National Epilepsy Awareness Week with a mission to erase the stigma surrounding epileptics.

Ortiz said many people also believe that the disorder is contagious, so epileptics often experience discrimination in school, the workplace and the community.

Records of the World Health Organization (WHO) show that in developed countries, studies suggest an annual incidence of epilepsy could affect some 60 out of 100,000 in the general population. In developing countries, this figure jumps to 100 sufferers per 100,000 people.

PLAE president Dr. Leonor Cabral-Lim said epilepsy is commonly caused by an underlying brain disease such as meningitis or other neurologic infections.

She said while epilepsy could be hereditary, there is only a three-percent chance that an epileptic mother will pass the disorder on to her children.

"There is a 97-percent chance that the epilepsy will not be passed on to the children," Lim said, adding that this type of epilepsy can be reversed at any given time during adolescence.

Ortiz also said a head injury or stroke could cause epilepsy.

"So now that we are encouraging people to use bicycles and motorcycles, it is important that they use helmets for protection in case of accidents," she said. — Sheila Crisostomo