Quality of life in patients with epilepsy

Cilj istraživanja: Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati povezanost promjene kvalitete života kod oboljelih od epilepsije s obzirom na demografske karakteristike, vrstu epileptičnog napadaja i učestalost napadaja, vrstu primijenjene antiepileptične terapije s obzirom na životne navike i komorbiditete. Nacrt studije: Istraživanje je provedeno kao presječno. Ispitanici i metode: Istraživanje je provedeno na Klinici za neurologiju Kliničkog bolničkog centra Osijek (KBC Osijek). Ispitanici su bili bolesnici oboljeli od epilepsije s propisanom antiepileptičnom terapijom. Za potrebe istraživanja konstruiran je upitnik u koji su bilježeni demografski podaci dok je u svrhu istraživanja utjecaja bolesti na kvalitetu života korišten The Patient-Weighted Quality of Life in Epilepsy inventory (QOLIE-31-P) upitnik. Rezultati: Istraživanjem nije dokazana razlika u kvaliteti života kod bolesnika oboljelih od epilepsije s obzirom na tip epileptičnog napadaja i učestalost napadaja, kao ni s obzirom na primijenjenu terapiju. Nije dokazana značajna razlika u ocjeni pojedinih domena i ukupnoj kvaliteti života s obzirom na spol ispitanika. Nije dokazan utjecaj pušenja na učestalost napadaja. Nije pokazana lošija riješenost upitnika s obzirom na primjenu psihijatrijske terapije. Dokazana je pozitivna korelacija vremena proteklog od zadnjeg napadaja s boljim rezultatima skale vezane za brigu o napadajima. Zaključak: Rezultati ovog istraživanja pokazuju da adekvatna primjena terapije i pravodobna dijagnoza epilepsije mogu uvelike olakšati život s ovom bolešću te omogućiti oboljelima izrazito visoku kvalitetu života čak i u slučaju komorbiditeta.Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to examine the change in quality of life in patients with epilepsy, with an impact of demographic characteristics, types of epilepsy and seizure frequency, types of applied antiepileptic therapy with respect to lifestyle habits and comorbidities. A draft of the study: The research was conducted as a cross-sectional. Patients and methods: The research was conducted at the Clinic for Neurology of the Clinical Hospital Center Osijek (KBC Osijek). Subjects were patients with epilepsy with prescribed antiepileptic therapy. For the needs of the research, a questionnaire, in which demographic data were entered, has been constructed, while for the purpose of researching the impact of the disease on the quality of life, the Patient-Weighted Quality of Life in Epilepsy inventory (QOLIE-31-P) questionnaire was used. Results: The study did not prove the difference in the quality of life in patients with epilepsy with regard to the type of epilepsy and the frequency of seizures, as well as regarding the applied therapy. There was no significant difference in the assessment of individual domains and the overall quality of life in regard to the gender of the respondents. The influence of smoking on the frequency of attacks has not been proven. Lower resolution of the questionnaire was not shown, regarding the application of psychiatric therapy. A positive correlation of the time that has passed from the last seizure, with better scale scores related to seizure care, was demonstrated. Conclusion: The results of this research show us that adequate application of therapy and timely diagnosis of epilepsy can greatly facilitate life with this disease and provide patients with an extremely high quality of life, even in the case of comorbidities