title: Maintenance of improvement in health-related quality of life during long-term treatment with levetiracetam.
abstract: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients taking levetiracetam (LEV) was evaluated in long-term follow-up. Short-term assessments compared LEV and placebo add-on therapy in an 18-week clinical trial, with long-term follow-up for a mean of 4.1 years. The QOLIE-31 was expanded to assess distress associated with each domain, change, and priority of importance of each domain. Significant improvements were observed at short-term in patients starting with LEV (N=66), whereas patients initially randomized to placebo (N=35) were unchanged. Improvement observed in LEV starters remained stable long-term. Placebo starters reached the same level of improvement in HRQOL at long-term. Correlations between the QOLIE-31-P distress items and domain items indicated that distress was significantly lower when HRQOL was better (P<0.0001, all domains). At long-term, highest-priority QOLIE-31-P domains were Social Functioning, Cognitive Function, and Overall QOL. Thus, gains in HRQOL were maintained during long-term LEV treatment, whether LEV was initiated early or late. Patient distress and importance of domains are useful data in determining how treatments impact on HRQOL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 950 Campbell Avenue (Room 7-127), West Haven, CT 06516, USA. joyce.cramer@yale.edu
authors.forename: Joyce A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cramer
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van Hammée
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010889:Piracetam / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D010889:Piracetam