Browsing by Autor "Alessandra Nicoletti"

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A Neuroepidemiological Survey in Rural Bolivia: Background and Methods
(Karger Publishers, 1998) Alessandra Nicoletti; A. Reggio; Alessandro Bartoloni; Gaetano Failla; Filippo Bartalesi; Mimmo Roselli; Herlan Gamboa; Esteban González Salazar; Franco Paradisi; G Tempera
A door-to-door survey was carried out in rural areas of the Cordillera province, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. A cluster sample of 10,124 inhabitants was selected. The aim was to determine the prevalence of the most common neurological diseases (epilepsy, stroke, parkinsonism and peripheral neuropathy) in this population using a modification of the World Health Organization screening instrument. 1,130 subjects screened positive and were then investigated by neurologists. In this paper we describe the background and methods of the survey and the characteristics of the population.
Anticuerpos contra Trichinella spiralis en la población rural de la provincia Cordillera, Bolivia
(Pan American Health Organization, 1999) Alessandro Bartoloni; Gabriella Cancrini; Filippo Bartalesi; Alessandra Nicoletti; Gerardo Méndez Prado; José Rosado; Mimmo Roselli; Franco Paradisi
A seroepidemiological study was conducted to determine the prevalence of antibodies to Trichinella spiralis among rural residents of Cordillera province, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. Using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), 234 serum samples were examined, and antibodies were detected in seven of the samples (3%). The results document for the first time the presence of human infestation with Trichinella in Bolivia and suggest the need to strengthen trichinelosis surveillance in the municipal slaughterhouses, to prevent the clandestine slaughter of animals, and particularly to ensure that residents and meat producers in the area become aware of the dangers of this zoonosis.
Epilepsy and neurocysticercosis in rural areas of the Bolivian Chaco: What has changed during the last 30 years?
(Wiley, 2023) Alessandra Nicoletti; Calogero Edoardo Cicero; Valeria Todaro; Chiara Colli; Francesco Cosmi; Mariella Anselmi; Cintia Caicedo; Estela Vilte; Walter Mario Camargo; Alessandro Bartoloni
Neurocysticercosis is still endemic in the Bolivian Chaco. The proportion of epilepsy attributable to neurocysticercosis is about 22%. Systematic efforts towards elimination of neurocysticercosis in these areas should be implemented.
Epilepsy and Neurocysticercosis in Rural Bolivia: A Population‐based Survey
(Wiley, 2005) Alessandra Nicoletti; Alessandro Bartoloni; Vito Sofia; Filippo Bartalesi; Josè Rosado Chavez; Rimberto Osinaga; Franco Paradisi; Jean‐Luc Dumas; Victor C. W. Tsang; A. Reggio
Our data confirm a high frequency of NCC among a well-defined prevalent cohort of epilepsy patients.
Knowledge and attitudes towards epilepsy among nonmedical health workers in rural Bolivia: Results after a long-term activity in the Chaco region
(Elsevier BV, 2018) Loretta Giuliano; Calogero Edoardo Cicero; Sandra Padilla; Mário E. Camargo; Vito Sofia; Mario Zappia; Alessandro Bartoloni; Elizabeth Blanca Crespo Gómez; Alessandra Nicoletti
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards epilepsy among general practitioners in rural Bolivia: Results before and after a training program on epilepsy
(Elsevier BV, 2018) Loretta Giuliano; Calogero Edoardo Cicero; Sandra Padilla; Mário E. Camargo; Vito Sofia; Mario Zappia; Alessandro Bartoloni; Elizabeth Blanca Crespo Gómez; Alessandra Nicoletti
Knowledge, stigma, and quality of life in epilepsy: Results before and after a community-based epilepsy awareness program in rural Bolivia
(Elsevier BV, 2019) Loretta Giuliano; Calogero Edoardo Cicero; Sandra Padilla; David Rojo Mayaregua; Walter Mario Camargo Villarreal; Vito Sofia; Mario Zappia; Alessandro Bartoloni; Elizabeth Blanca Crespo Gómez; Alessandra Nicoletti
Lifetime Prevalence of Bell’s Palsy in Rural Bolivia: A Door-to-Door Survey
(Karger Publishers, 2002) Alessandra Nicoletti; Vito Sofia; Alessandro Bartoloni; Filippo Bartalesi; C Marletta; Maria Luisa Lo Bartolo; José Rosado; Francesco Le Pira; A. Reggio
We carried out a door-to-door survey in rural areas of the Cordillera Province, Bolivia, to determine the prevalence of the most common neurological diseases in a sample of about 10,000 inhabitants. A team of non-doctor health workers administered a standard screening instrument for neurological diseases, a slightly modified version of the World Health Organization protocol. All subjects found positive at the screening phase underwent a complete neurological examination. On screening, we found 1,130 positive subjects, of whom 909 were aged 15 years and above. After the neurological examination, we found 52 cases who had experienced Bell's palsy during their life in the population aged 15 years and above. The lifetime prevalence on November 1, 1994 was 11.1/1,000 (95% confidence interval 7.8-14.5) for the population aged 15 years and above. The prevalence was higher in women than in men (13.7 and 8.7/1,000, respectively) and increased with age, reaching a peak in the group aged 65 years or more (31.7/1,000). Only 3 cases (5.8%) had received medical therapy.
Long-Standing International Cooperation in Parasitology Research: A Summary of 35 Years of Activities in the Bolivian Chaco
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2022) Simona Gabrielli; Fabio Macchioni; Michele Spinicci; Marianne Strohmeyer; Mimmo Roselli; Alessandra Nicoletti; Calogero Edoardo Cicero; Veronica Poma; David Rojo; Yunni Lara
The Bolivian Chaco is a semiarid region with a low population density, situated in the southeast part of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Here, despite the improvements of the last 15 years, poverty remains high in rural areas, where social vulnerability is widespread. The Guaraní ethnic group often lives in isolated communities with a low standard of hygiene and sanitation. This epidemiological scenario favors the spread of transmissible diseases, including several parasitic infections belonging to the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) group. In this area, a long-standing research activity, built upon the synergism between local and foreign institutions, has been established since the late 1980s and helps to fill in the knowledge gap about the epidemiology dynamics of soil-transmitted helminths, vector-borne parasites, and other parasitic diseases. A 35-year history of cooperation programs in parasitology research has contributed to informing local health authorities of the NTD burden in the Bolivian Chaco and, ultimately, supports local healthcare providers in the management of parasitic diseases.
Natural history and mortality of chronic epilepsy in an untreated population of rural Bolivia: A follow‐up after 10 years
(Wiley, 2009) Alessandra Nicoletti; Vito Sofia; Giuseppina Vitale; Sara Irene Bonelli; Vladimir Bejarano; Filippo Bartalesi; Duc‐Si Tran; Pierre‐Marie Preux; Mario Zappia; Alessandro Bartoloni
Our data suggest that spontaneous remission of epilepsy occurs in a substantial proportion of untreated patients affected by chronic epilepsy; concerning mortality, we found a 3-fold increased mortality in patients with remote symptomatic epilepsy.
Prevalence and Incidence of Epilepsy Associated with Convulsive Seizures in Rural Bolivia. A Global Campaign against Epilepsy Project
(Public Library of Science, 2015) Elisa Bruno; Graziella Quattrocchi; Elizabeth Blanca Crespo Gómez; Vito Sofia; Sandra Padilla; Mário E. Camargo; Mario Zappia; Alessandro Bartoloni; Alessandra Nicoletti
the present study demonstrated a considerable burden of EACS in the Bolivian Chaco, showing prevalence and incidence estimates close to those reported for low and middle- income countries and underlying the need of treatment programs.
Prevalence of Stroke
(Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000) Alessandra Nicoletti; V. Sofia; Salvatore Giuffrida; Alessandro Bartoloni; Filippo Bartalesi; Michelangelo Bartolo; Salvatore Lo Fermo; V. Cocuzza; H Gamboa; Esteban González Salazar
Our crude prevalence is lower compared with rates from developed countries, probably because of a high case fatality rate. Our findings are comparable with those reported from other surveys carried out in rural developing countries.
Seroprevalence of antibodies to Trichinella spiralis among rural residents of Cordillera province, Bolivia
(1999) Alessandro Bartoloni; Gabriella Cancrini; Filippo Bartalesi; Alessandra Nicoletti; Gerardo Méndez Prado; José Rosado; Mimmo Roselli; Franco Paradisi
Treating People With Epilepsy in Rural Low-Income Countries Is Feasible. Observations and Reflections From a “Real Life Experience” After a Long Lasting Intervention in the Rural Chaco
(Frontiers Media, 2018) Alessandra Nicoletti; Loretta Giuliano; Chiara Colli; Calogero Edoardo Cicero; Sandra Padilla; Estela Vilte; David Rojo Mayaregua; María del Cármen Rodríguez Martínez; Mário E. Camargo; Mario Zappia
Introduction: Epilepsy represents an important public health issue, in particular in low and middle-income countries where significant disparities are present in the care available for patients with epilepsy. Treatment cost and unavailability of drugs represent important barriers in treating people with epilepsy especially in rural setting. Aim of the study was to evaluate, by means of routine data, the current real-life clinical practice in epilepsy in the rural communities of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Treatment activity followed educational campaigns and an anthropological fieldwork over more than 20 years. Material and Methods: Medical records of people with epilepsy (PWE) living in the rural communities of the Bolivian Chaco who received antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), from 2012 to 2016, and were followed-up for at least 1 year were analyzed. Treatment delivery and follow up visits were managed by a neurologist with the support of rural health care workers. Results: From 2012 to 2016, 157 PWE (76 men with a mean age of 24.2 ± 15.7) have been included in the study. Structural epilepsy was the most common type, recorded in 54 cases (34.4%) and the most common reported causes were perinatal factors, present in 11 subjects (20.0%). Almost all patients presented epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures (91.4%). The most common AED prescribed was phenobarbital followed by carbamazepine. During the follow-up, a dramatic seizures reduction was observed, with 31 subjects (19.7%) being seizures-free at the last follow-up. However, 48 subjects (30.6%) did not assume the medication regularly and 10 interrupted the drug intake. More than 20% of PWE did not receive any financial supports for AEDs. During the follow-up period 10 patients died but only in one case the death was probably caused by epilepsy. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that PWE in rural areas of the Bolivian Chaco are willing to seek medical attention and to receive antiepileptic treatment. However, improvement in care is needed to assure compliance to AED treatment, including activity to increase awareness toward epilepsy among community members and health staff of the rural communities and to guarantee the coverage of treatment costs and drug supply.