PLAE, PNA join forces v. epilepsy
As epilepsy specialists and neurologists danced the night away in the fellowship affair of the third national epilepsy congress held on May 5 to 7 at the Legend Hotel in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Dr. Hazel Paragua commented: "We work hard. We play hard."
The accomplishments and ambitious projects of the Philippine League Against Epilepsy (PLAE) say so, too.
The epilepsy congress is just one of the scientific activities that the PLAE regularly holds to enhance the skills and knowledge of neurologists in epilepsy management. It is in line with PLAE's goal to improve epilepsy awareness and the delivery of basic epilepsy care in the country.
Aptly, the congress's theme this year is Raising the Bar in Epilepsy Diagnosis. And as the Philippine Neurological Association (PNA) joined the congress for its 11th midyear convention, it signified its intention of exploring Relevant Linkages in Neurology.
Pediatric neurologist Madeleine Grace Matibag-Sosa and PLAE president Leonor Cabral-Lim discussed the details of two registries that those with epilepsy and health and medical professionals involved in epilepsy care would find essential--the PLAE National Epilepsy Registry and Philippine Epilepsy Pregnancy Registry.
Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological condition worldwide, Sosa said. Based on foreign data, the prevalence of epilepsy is 72 to 86 per 100,000 for children less than nine years old and 46 to 83 per 100,000 for those more than 14 years, she said.
Despite this, "epilepsy is not included in the government health-care program," she pointed out, mainly because of lack of local epidemiological data. So far, we only have hospital-based data and data from the National Statistics Office Census of 1992 to 1996, which gives the average of epilepsy mortality at 1.2 per 1,000, to give a picture of epilepsy in the Philippines, Sosa said. "Epidemiological studies need to be pursued for us to determine the epilepsy burden, not only to persuade our government to assign high priority to epilepsy care in the country, but also to serve as guide to future health-policy decisions," she explained.
PLAE's Bridging Referrals to Improve Delivery of Grassroots Epilepsy Services (BRIDGES) project, a referral system wherein problematic cases seen by physicians in rural areas can have access to neurologists and epilepsy specialists, is a good opportunity to gather data, said Sosa, and can help jumpstart a national epilepsy registry.
As a national coordinator for the Antiepileptic Drugs and Pregnancy Registry, an international collaboration to establish a basis for a safer treatment of epilepsy during pregnancy, Cabral-Lim is introducing an epilepsy-in-pregnancy registry in the country.
"[Its] aim is to contribute to a better understanding of the risks associated with antiepilepsy drugs during pregnancy," she explained.
So far, 39 countries are participating in the pregnancy registry, with 5,558 pregnancies registered. Worldwide, 150 pregnancies are being registered monthly.
Cabral-Lim said that for the pregnancy registry to prosper in the Philippines there would have to be a greater volunteerism of data among the medical professionals dealing with epilepsy.
M. Ciriacruz
Epilepsy-awareness week
Why should epilepsy be a hindrance to a fulfilling relationship? The Philippine League Against Epilepsy (PLAE) demands that we be aware that it should not be, as it spearheads the third National Epilepsy-Awareness Week celebration on September 6 to 11.
In 2002, PLAE pushed for Epilepsy: Out of the Shadows. It called for people to be aware that epilepsy is not something to be ashamed of. It is a neurological disorder that can be treated. In 2004, the theme was Seize the Day!, where those with epilepsy were encouraged to lead productive and happy lives. This year, the week's celebration focuses on Love, Marriage, and Family.
Like in previous years, an intensive trimedia campaign, lay forums, motorcades, art and essay-writing contests, and sports activities will be held as well as another fund-raising activity--a bingo--to benefit a drug bank, which aims to make antiepileptic drugs more affordable.
Medicines to treat epilepsy and prevent seizures are available, explains PLAE president Leonor Cabral-Lim. However, epilepsy is often not managed properly because of lack of compliance by patients with treatment or their lack of funds to sustain it.
Last year, a walkathon was held at the Quirino Grandstand.
Epilepsy Exemplar Baldwin Kho, a visual artist, will also hold an art exhibit entitled The Fruits of the Spirit at the Kaisa Heritage Center in Intramuros to benefit the drug bank. An Epilepsy Exemplars is someone judged by PLAE to have good seizure control, compliance with medical treatment, and positive attitudes toward their condition such as optimism, self-determination, and independence that allow them normal lives and to do well, academically or professionally. This award is given every two years.
In the epilepsy-awareness-week celebration, PLAE'S various projects are going to be highlighted, among them the establishment of the Epilepsy Registry and Antiepileptic Drugs and Pregnancy Registry and BRIDGES. PLAE also recruits Provincial Awareness Volunteers in Epilepsy to lecture in schools, health centers, and other institutions about epilepsy as a major social concern.
The Epilepsy Awareness Advocates Inc., which will soon serve as an umbrella organization for epilepsy support groups, will be actively involved in the Epilepsy Awareness Week as well.
M. Ciriacruz
Nutrition in cardiovascular care
With the theme Confluence of Competencies for Progress in Cardiovascular Medicine, the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) held its 36th annual convention on May 25 to 28, seeking to engage other medical specialties and health professionals in the fight against cardiovascular diseases.
Dr. Cesar Recto II, chair of the organizing committee, said "engaging other specialists and partners in the care of patients is strengthening the advocacy campaign for preventive cardiology and healthy lifestyle." He said involvement of all health professionals is paramount in the light of findings in the latest National Nutrition and Health Survey that nine out of 10 Filipino adults have at least one risk factor (obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, smoking) for coronary-artery disease.
In one of the symposiums titled Healthy Lifestyle Begets Healthy Heart and a Youthful Body, dietitian Sanirose Orbeta warned of diets that cause "nutrition backlash, yield erratic results, and fail to deliver the promised weight loss."
"The cut-throat race to find this magic weight-loss bullet translates to big business, if [those proposing weight-loss schemes] can convince the vulnerable public to buy [their] theories," said Orbeta.
She said that the diet plans that emPHAsize moderate fat, balanced-nutrition, and adherence to the Food Pyramid Guide are "optimally the safest method for weight loss, which ensure nutritional adequacy both in short and long-term practice." In contrast, the high-fat/low-carbohydrate, low-fat, and very-low-fat diets lack macronutrients and require use of supplements, she noted.
Discussing nutritional deficiencies in children with heart disease, pediatrician Aurora Gamponia said that growth retardation is common among children with congenital heart disease while acute undernutrition affects two out of three hospitalized patients. "It is important to have a complete nutritional assessment of children with CHD so as to provide the appropriate nutritional support, as well as feeding strategies," Gamponia stressed.
Pediatrician Anna Marie Cabaero warned of the impact of obesity in children, saying obese and overweight children are likely to become overweight or obese adults and at risk for coronary-heart disease and other cardiovascular disorders.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ramon Abarquez Jr. was given the PHA Golden Heart Award for contributions to the advancement of cardiology in the Philippines. Abarquez is also this year's recipient of the outstanding physician award of the Philippine College of Physicians.
The PHA also elected a new set of officers for 2005 to 2006. Elected president was Dr. Mariano Lopez, chair of the Rizal Medical Center department of internal medicine and head of the Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center cardiology section. The other officers are Drs. Cesar Recto II, vice president; Efren Vicaldo, secretary; Ma. Belen Carisma, treasurer; Joel Abanilla and Ma. Teresa Abola, directors.
A. Mendoza
PHA council on women's heart health
The PHA also launched its Council on Women's Heart Health,
which will be chaired by Dr. Esperanza Cabral, former PHA president. Dr. Norbert Lingling Uy, outgoing PHA president, said that the establishment of the council is part of the medical society's advocacy program against CVDs.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death in women and their incidence is increasing everywhere in the world, said Cabral during the council's launch at the PHA Puso sa Puso Media Forum that coincided with the PHA convention. The Department of Health reports that 45,000 women died of CVDs in 2001, and the number has been increasing.
"Many women are more afraid of breast cancer than CVD. CVDs are an important cause of disability as well, but many women and their physicians underestimate their risk to women," she lamented.
Encouraging lifestyle approaches to prevent CVD in women has to be a top priority, Cabral stressed. "Prevention strategies also include assessing and stratifying women into risk categories, and prioritizing risk interventions on the basis of risk stratification and the strength of the evidence supporting the recommendations."
Cabral said there is a need to give special attention to women because of several concerns. For one, there is difficulty in diagnosing coronary-artery disease in perimenopausal women.
They face additional risk factors like gestational diabetes and oral-contraceptive use, as well as the higher rate of smoking among young women than young men. More women develop congestive heart failure after revascularization, and myocardial infarction is almost three times higher among women (13 percent) than men (4.8 percent). There is also a need to deal with the popular notion that women have a higher risk of dying of breast cancer than coronary-artery disease.
Thus, the council's first project would be a nationwide awareness campaign on issues affecting women's cardiovascular health and misconceptions.
The forum's theme was Women Power v. the CVD Menace. The other speakers were Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Rep. Josefina Joson. Panelists were Mario Garcia, vice president of Radyo Veritas; Fely Velandria, head of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), veteran actor Boots Anson-Roa, and broadcast journalist Chi-chi Fajardo-Robles who also served as moderator.
A. Mendoza
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