Author(s) :

Advaita Ponduri.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

This research paper is a literary review of the neurodegenerative disease known as Nodding Syndrome which is a form of an epilepsy-related brain disorder found mainly in children from 5-15 years old. The main focus is on Uganda because Nodding Syndrome is most prominent in this area as well as other third world countries in Africa. The primary objectives are to discuss how epigenetics and structural violence, tied in with gaps in healthcare and exposure to biotoxins, interact to shape the progression of this disease. This paper also examines the Ugandan healthcare structure, and the current critical situation in the country regarding the Nodding Syndrome disease. All of this is tied together in the paper to discuss how it affects vulnerable families in Uganda. After this research, this paper arrives at the following major conclusions: First, these findings suggest that social conditions play a large role in furthering the development of Nodding Syndrome. Second, the research highlights structural violence as a main instigator of health disparities. Third, Nodding Syndrome has a lot of biomedical as well as environmental factors that play into it through brain development and biotoxins. Finally, limited access to healthcare and the lack of a well prepared medical system in Uganda makes diseases like Nodding Syndrome much worse due to a multitude of factors such as inadequate treatment, a lack of supplies, and poorly trained doctors.