Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar; Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar, Qatar.
University Hospital Mohammed VI, Marrakech, Morocco.
Epilepsy Res. 2021 Feb;170:106538. doi: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2020.106538. Epub 2021 Jan 11.
The aim of this study is to provide the reader with a review on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) treatment in epilepsy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, to describe the extent and factors associated with its use among patients with epilepsy (PWE), and to recommend how effectively we will be able to reduce this alarming use.
Retrospective literature search from 1945 to December 2019, regarding CAM use in the MENA region, using electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science).
The use of CAM and consultation of traditional healers for the treatment of epilepsy has so far been widespread practice for centuries in the MENA region. Lack of health professionals and non-adherence to conventional epilepsy treatment are strongly associated with the use of CAM. Improvement in the level of knowledge of epilepsy among PWE, healthcare professionals, including traditional healers, will educate PWE and their caregivers on potentially unsafe practices and promote adherence to Antiseizure Drugs (ASDs). Additionally, randomized controlled trials are needed to study the role and value of various CAM treatment options in PWEs.
本研究旨在为读者提供关于在中东和北非（MENA）地区癫痫的补充和替代医学（CAM）治疗的综述，描述癫痫患者（PWE）中使用 CAM 的程度和相关因素，并提出建议以有效减少这种令人担忧的使用。
对 1945 年至 2019 年 12 月期间关于 MENA 地区 CAM 使用的文献进行回顾性检索，使用电子数据库（PubMed、Scopus、Google Scholar、Web of Science）。
在 MENA 地区，几个世纪以来，CAM 的使用和传统治疗师的咨询一直是治疗癫痫的广泛做法。缺乏卫生专业人员和不遵守常规癫痫治疗与 CAM 的使用密切相关。提高 PWE、包括传统治疗师在内的医疗保健专业人员对癫痫的认识水平，将教育 PWE 及其护理人员有关潜在不安全做法，并促进对抗癫痫药物（ASD）的遵守。此外，还需要进行随机对照试验，以研究各种 CAM 治疗选择在 PWE 中的作用和价值。
