May 05, 2021
High rates of epilepsy in Maori probed
A University of Otago Researcher has won funding for a two-year study on epilepsy among Māori.
Dr Ngaire Keenan says little is known about the causes of the disorder among Māori, but they are overrepresented.
"Māori are more likely to present to hospital with their seizures, they are more likely to present with severe seizures so long seizures that need a lot of treatment, the mortality rate in Māori with epilepsy is higher than non-Māori, and new research shows that when you look at tamariki Māori, they have more fits than they should have. Why is this happening? she says.
Dr Keegan says some types of epilepsy are preventable, such as when it is triggered by meningitis, so the study will also look at how tamariki Māori are managed when they present.
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