TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics on the quality of life in patients with epilepsy
AU - Kuzmanova, Rumyana
AU - Stefanova, Irina
AU - Velcheva, Irena
AU - Stambolieva, Katerina
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Academic Publishing House. All rights reserved.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - The main point of the antiepileptic treatment is the Quality of Life (QoL) recovery in patients with epilepsy, which is primarily linked to reaching a continuous control of the seizures without clinically significant adverse effects. The purpose of the present study was to assess the quality of life in patients with epilepsy and to compare the impact of some clinical and sociodemographic characteristics. The study group consisted of 131 patients (57 male and 74 female, average age 40:13±13:37 years). All the patients were asked to fill in two questionnaires: LAEP-BG scale and the Bulgarian version of the QOLIE-89 questionnaire. Statistical analysis revealed that the subscales of the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory {89 persons were negatively correlated with older age, adverse effects of antiepileptic medicaments, higher number of prescribed drugs, seizure frequency and symptomatic type of epilepsy, and were positively correlated with educational level and the economic status. Comparing the QOLIE-89 scores between the Bulgarian patients with epilepsy and similar populations in Norway, United States and China, we established that the Bulgarian patients had lower scores than all other patient groups, and the differences between the Bulgarian and Norwegian patients were the greatest. High seizure frequency, symptomatic epilepsy and undesired drug effects of antiepileptic medicaments impact negatively on the quality of life of patients with epilepsy. Although in most studies the frequency of epileptic seizures is defined as the main criterion for the outcome of the disease, our results show the decisive role of both the seizure frequency and adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs as important predictors for the health-related quality of life, markedly in cases with pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Higher educational level and economic status are protective factors in the quality of life of adult patients. The measurement of QoL in epilepsy is an effective index in adjusting the antiepileptic therapy.
AB - The main point of the antiepileptic treatment is the Quality of Life (QoL) recovery in patients with epilepsy, which is primarily linked to reaching a continuous control of the seizures without clinically significant adverse effects. The purpose of the present study was to assess the quality of life in patients with epilepsy and to compare the impact of some clinical and sociodemographic characteristics. The study group consisted of 131 patients (57 male and 74 female, average age 40:13±13:37 years). All the patients were asked to fill in two questionnaires: LAEP-BG scale and the Bulgarian version of the QOLIE-89 questionnaire. Statistical analysis revealed that the subscales of the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory {89 persons were negatively correlated with older age, adverse effects of antiepileptic medicaments, higher number of prescribed drugs, seizure frequency and symptomatic type of epilepsy, and were positively correlated with educational level and the economic status. Comparing the QOLIE-89 scores between the Bulgarian patients with epilepsy and similar populations in Norway, United States and China, we established that the Bulgarian patients had lower scores than all other patient groups, and the differences between the Bulgarian and Norwegian patients were the greatest. High seizure frequency, symptomatic epilepsy and undesired drug effects of antiepileptic medicaments impact negatively on the quality of life of patients with epilepsy. Although in most studies the frequency of epileptic seizures is defined as the main criterion for the outcome of the disease, our results show the decisive role of both the seizure frequency and adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs as important predictors for the health-related quality of life, markedly in cases with pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Higher educational level and economic status are protective factors in the quality of life of adult patients. The measurement of QoL in epilepsy is an effective index in adjusting the antiepileptic therapy.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84928943310&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Journal articles
AN - SCOPUS:84928943310
SN - 1310-1331
VL - 68
SP - 537
EP - 546
JO - Comptes Rendus de L'Academie Bulgare des Sciences
JF - Comptes Rendus de L'Academie Bulgare des Sciences
IS - 4
ER -
