Assessment of quality of life of patients with epilepsy in the neurology OPD of a tertiary care University hospital

Abstract

Epilepsy is a chronic disease which has a major influence on the quality of life of epileptic patients. A cross- sectional study conducted on patients either sex, aged ≥18 years, with epilepsy to identify the factors that influence their quality of life. Data including the patient demographics (age, sex, educational status, employment status), duration of epilepsy, frequency of seizure episodes during the past month, drugs prescribed, were obtained from the patient case records and by direct history interview of the patients. Quality of life of the patients was assessed using a standard validated questionnaire on Quality of Life in Epilepsy (QOLIE-31-P). Univariate linear regression analysis, student t-test and one way ANOVA were performed to analyze the data collected. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. 130 patients (73 males (56.2%) and 57 females (43.8%); mean age 34.89±10.18 years were included and the mean quality of life (QOL) score was 60.3 ±15.72 (range 20.45- 97). There was a significant association between age, sex, duration of epilepsy, seizure frequency, employment status, seizure worry, emotional well-being, energy/fatigue, cognitive function, medication effects, social functioning & distress and the QOL (P <0.05) whereas, educational status and type of therapy had no effect on the QOL of the patients (P >0.05).The care of the epileptic patients must be taken into account by considering the various factors influencing the quality of life in these patients.