PMID: 16518977Mar 8, 2006Paper

Knowledge of epilepsy among teachers in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand

Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet Thangphaet
Somsak TiamkaoSuda Vannaprasaht

Abstract

Epileptic patients face social stigmatization due to negative attitudes and incorrect knowledge on epilepsy. To evaluate knowledge of epilepsy among teachers in Khon Kaen province. A self-administered questionnaire distributed to 102 teachers who attended the training lectures on epilepsy. The number of correct responses for each item were collected. The statistical analysis included the percentage of correct response and the means of the total scores. Most (78.4%) respondents understood that a seizure is an abnormal electrical discharge in the brain, while 54.9% thought it included a form of abnormal movement and 1% demonic possession. The generalized tonic-clonic seizure (GTCs) was the type of seizure with which most respondents were familiar (90.2%), while 23.5% had knowledge of absence seizures. The respondents identified the following as causes for epilepsy: 1) head injury (84%); 2) genetic disease (74.5%); 3) high fever (68%); and, 4) brain tumor (57%). A small minority associated epilepsy with eating pork (11%) and even fewer (2%) with a non-organic/non-physical cause. Only 16% of respondents thought epilepsy was incurable, and a quarter (27%) of the teachers thought epileptics required anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) life l...Continue Reading

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