Table 2 Description of culture-bound illness categories (CBIs) and their incidence in Waca Playa (Bolivia) and Pitumarca (Peru)
Illnesses (local names in Quechua and/or Spanish) | Symptoms and/or etiology | Incidence in Waca Playa (N = 743) | Incidence in Pitumarca (N = 1458) |
|---|---|---|---|
Arrebato | Mostly experienced by women. Symptoms include headache, fever, dizziness | 0.3% | 0.2% |
Calor interno | Internal inflammation, fever; caused by heat exposure | 0.0% | 1.2% |
Caracter fuerte, agitación | Strong character, irritability, agitation | 0.1% | 0.3% |
Colerina, cólico (W), cólera (P) | Stomachache, headache, bitter mouth, nauseas, vomiting; caused by anger | 6.3% | 1.6% |
Costado | Strong side pain, hemorrhagic cough, stomachache; caused by cold exposure | 0.4% | 0.5% |
Empacho, cólico (P) | Indigestion, stomachache, constipation; caused by ingestion of cold food | 0.3% | 3.2% |
Enfermedad de yatiri (W), enfermedad de paqo (P) | Several illnesses cured or rituals performed by healers: possession by ancestral spirits, witchcraft, divination and diagnosis, animal sacrifice | 4.6% | 6.2% |
Enfriamiento, enfermedad del frio | Stomachache, headache, body pain, cold feet; caused by cold exposure | 0.0% | 0.7% |
Japega (W), mancharisqa (P), susto | Mostly experienced by children. “Fright sickness”:’ insomnia, continuous crying; caused by fall in an evil place, fright, and soul loss | 1.6% | 0.5% |
Madre, erita (P), cáncer (P) | Experienced by women. Symptoms of uterine or ovary inflammation, hot body, peeling skin, swollen hands and feet, back pain; caused by heat or cold exposure during menstruation | 2.0% | 7.0% |
Mal de bilis, hígado | “Biliary sickness”: nausea, dry and acid taste in mouth, liver inflammation; caused by ingestion of greasy food, also caused by anger | 0.3% | 1.6% |
Mal de corazón, perdida de memoria | “Heart sickness”: headache, dizziness, memory loss; caused by worry or sadness | 0.1% | 1.9% |
Protección espiritual, suerte | Mostly used for children. Spiritual protection against "bad winds" such as soqawayra or machuwayra, amulet for good luck | 0.1% | 0.8% |
Rayo (W), qhaha (P) | Hemorrhagic cough, weight loss, paralysis of the arms; caused by lightening | 0.5% | 3.9% |
Tuku (W), tukuchi (P), ataques | Attack, epileptic fit, dizziness, weakness, fainting; caused by mal de corazón | 0.9% | 1.4% |
Wayra, malviento (uraña, soqa, machu, etc.) | Several types of “bad winds” (uraña, soqawayra, machuwayra, etc.): vomiting, headache, stomachache, sore feet, paleness, weakness, cold body, paralysis, inability to speak, can lead to death; caused by encounters with animals or spirits when one walks at night, also caused by anger | 5.5% | 11.5% |
Other culture-bound illnesses (oreja, cuyca, chiripa, phasku) | Oreja (mostly in children): weight loss, diarrhea; caused by the smell of a dead animal or human body | ||
Cuyca: internal illness | |||
Chiripa: caused by rainbow | |||
Phasku: (mostly in babies) dry and cracked lips and skin; caused by exposure to sun. | |||
Total incidence of CBIs | 24.4% | 42.8% |