title: Epilepsy: comprehensive care, quality of life, and factors preventing people with epilepsy from being employed.
abstract: This article reviews several studies of patients with intractable epilepsy carried out at the National Epilepsy Center, Shizuoka, Japan. These studies have evaluated the factors that affect the employment status of people with epilepsy and the effect of resective surgery for epilepsy on quality of life. It has been shown that although seizure status is a major factor in determining whether a person with intractable epilepsy finds employment, other factors also play a role. These other factors include intellectual impairment, psychological and psychiatric disorders, and physical disabilities. Thus even patients who are rendered seizure free may not be able to find employment. This is perhaps reflected in the finding that some patients who were rendered seizure free by resective surgery and their families were dissatisfied with the postoperative outcome. A number of special factors affecting the quality of life and employment opportunities available to people with epilepsy in Japan are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: National Epilepsy Center-Shizuoka Higashi Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yagi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004651:Employment; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome