Epidemiology of Epilepsy Among Hispanics in the United States
Abstract number :
3.145
Submission category :
16. Epidemiology
Year :
2024
Submission ID :
451
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/9/2024 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Authors :
Presenting Author: Moira Black, MD – Children's Healthcare of Atlanta / Emory University
Vincent Zhang, BA – Baylor College of Medicine
Zulfi Haneef, MBBS, MD – Baylor College of Medicine
Gabriela Tantillo, MD, MPH – Baylor College of Medicine
Rationale: Hispanics are a culturally and geographically diverse ethnic group with an increasing presence in the United States (US). While several studies have investigated the epidemiology of epilepsy among Hispanics in Latin America, few studies have examined epilepsy in the Hispanic population of the US. In order to better understand and address barriers to epilepsy care, we must first have an accurate understanding of the characteristics of this population.
Methods: We performed a systematic review focused on epilepsy epidemiology among Hispanics in the US followed by a narrative review of articles which discussed disparities between Hispanic patients with epilepsy and other racial groups. We found 1457 articles which were reviewed according to exclusion criteria, including foreign studies, non-pertinent topics, letters, conference articles, and papers not written in English. Articles that passed the title review then went through abstract review before a full text review. Additional articles that were identified as falling within our criteria during this review but were not part of the original search were included in a second review. Seven broad themes were identified: (1) access to medical care, (2) utilization of anti seizure medications, (3) access to and outcomes of epilepsy surgery, (4) insurance type (5) cost of epilepsy care (6) depression, anxiety, and epilepsy stigma, and (7) language preference.
Results: Overall, Hispanic patients had less access to medical care and were using newer anti seizure medications less often. However, the opposite was true among a veteran population. There was conflicting evidence in terms of access to and outcomes of epilepsy surgery. One found that Hispanics underwent epilepsy surgery at lower rates than White patients, two studies found that rates were similar, and a study of pediatric patients found that time to surgery was shorter for Hispanic patients. One study found that epilepsy surgery outcomes were similar among White and Hispanic patients. Conflicting evidence was found with some studies indicating higher cost of care for Hispanic patients compared to White patients and some indicating lower. Compared to White patients with epilepsy, Hispanics had lower or similar rates of depression and stigma but higher worry. Language preference and acculturation play a role in these outcomes.
Conclusions: Our review highlights disparities in epilepsy care and complexities in assessing this among Hispanics with epilepsy in the US. We found conflicting data on access to epilepsy care, medications, and epilepsy surgery among Hispanics with epilepsy in the US. Psychosocial factors such as stigma and depression appear to affect Hispanics at similar rates compared to White patients. Because of the large and varied Hispanic population in the US as well as differing variables and methods used in the studies performed, definitive conclusions should be interpreted with caution. Our review highlights the limited current epidemiological data of this population and the critical need for further research in order to better study and address barriers to care.
Funding: None
Epidemiology