Biomedical subjects

Moacir Alves Borges

Publications and source records attributed to Moacir Alves Borges.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Assessment of the epilepsy treatment gap in two cities of south-east of Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the epilepsy treatment gap in Campinas and São Josédo Rio Preto, two cities in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. METHOD: The treatment gap was estimated using the formula n1-n2/n1x100, where n1 was calculated using 1.86% prevalence and represented the number of individuals with epilepsy, while n2 represented the number of people who could be treated with an adult standard dose for a year utilizing the antiepileptic drugs supplied by the public health system. RESULTS: Our estimates revealed that in 2001, approximately 50% of the population with epilepsy was treated with the recommended antiepileptic medication. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that a relevant percentage of patients with epilepsy are not untreated. Further epidemiological studies are needed to investigate the reasons for this treatment gap so that interventions can reduce this gap and improve the quality of life of patients with epilepsy.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Urban prevalence of epilepsy: populational study in São José do Rio Preto, a medium-sized city in Brazil.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of epilepsy in the urban population of São José do Rio Preto. This is a medium-sized city of 336000 inhabitants, located in the northwest of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. METHOD: A cross-sectional epidemiological investigation with a randomized sample was performed in two phases, a screening phase and a confirmation of the diagnosis phase. The gold standard was a clinical investigation and neurological examination. The chi-square test was used in analysis of the results and p-value value < 0.05 was considered significant. Prevalence was calculated with 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: The study sample size was 17293 individuals, with distributions of gender, age, and race similar to the general population. The prevalence per 1000 inhabitants of epilepsy was 18.6, of these 8.2 were active, defined as at least one seizure within the last two years. The prevalence per 1000 inhabitants for the age groups (years) was 4.9 (04), 11.7 (514), 20.3 (1564) and 32.8 (65 or over). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of both accumulated and active epilepsy was elevated, comparable to other developing nations, in particular those of Latin America. However, the prevalence of epilepsy in childhood was low, whilst in aged individuals it was high similar to industrialized nations.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

[Prevalence of epilepsy in Bakairi indians from Mato Grosso State, Brazil].

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the prevalence of epilepsy in a population based sample: the Bakairi indians, who live on the banks of Paranatinga river in the central plateau of Mato Grosso state, Brazil. This population is composed of 483 inhabitants. The study was outlined in two stages, and the investigation was door-to-door in a total of 103 houses. The results of the instrument showed a sensitivity of 88% (CI- 95%, 84.9-93), specificity of 97.8% (CI-95, 95-98). The prevalence of active epilepsy was 12.4 per mil, and inactive was 6.2 per mil. This prevalence of the epilepsy was considered high probably due to some familial risk factor (p=0.04) among those Indians, while other factors were not important.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Propranolol Action in Chronically Unstable Generalized Epilepsy.

Chronically unstable generalized epilepsy (CUGE) is a disabling disease usually treated by ineffective association of drugs. Authors have devoted attention to calcium-dependent mechanisms of seizures. Calcium channel blockers have been used with success in the control of both experimental and clinical epilepsy. beta-Adrenergic blockers, such as propranolol hydrochloride (PR), had been described to be experimentally effective in the control of epilepsy in rats and chicks, due to its receptor-dependent calcium channel blocking and membrane-stabilizing actions. We used PR in this crossover, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Twelve patients with CUGE were enrolled and treated for 15 days with treatment A (20--40 mg PR bid) and treatment B (20--40 mg placebo); the difference in the total number of seizures in the two periods of treatment was compared. Patients treated with PR showed a 32.9% reduction (p < 0.05) in epileptic manifestations. The authors concluded that PR may be an effective adjunct therapy in CUGE and other forms of generalized epilepsy.

Journal Article↗