The Epilepsy Treatment Gap in Rural West Bengal: A Community Survey
Department of Neurology and Department of Community Medicine, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Corresponding Author: Bhattacharya T, Doctus Journal of Neurosciences.
Abstract
The treatment gap in epilepsy describes the proportion of people with active seizures receiving no appropriate treatment. We conducted a door-to-door survey of 12,400 residents across four rural blocks, screening with a validated instrument and confirming cases by neurologist review. Active epilepsy was identified in 112 people, a prevalence of 9.0 per 1,000. Of these, 61.6% were receiving no antiseizure medication or an inadequate regimen. Distance to the nearest prescriber and prior consultation with a traditional healer were the strongest correlates. Devolving maintenance prescribing to trained primary care staff addresses both, whereas awareness campaigns alone address neither.
Keywords
Epilepsy; Treatment Gap; Community Survey; Rural Neurology; Antiseizure Medication; Health Access
How to Cite
Bhattacharya T, Saha P and Mondal D. “The Epilepsy Treatment Gap in Rural West Bengal: A Community Survey”. Doctus Journal of Neurosciences 1.2 (2026): 22-38.
Copyright and Licence
© 2026 Bhattacharya T. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.