Quality of life in epileptic patients in southern Thailand.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the risk factors for a low quality of life in Thai epileptic patients.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted at Songklanagarind Hospital, Thailand. Epileptic patients aged 15-50 years old, who had been treated with a stable dose of antiepileptic drug(s) for more than three months, were enrolled Those who had other chronic medical illnesses and pregnant women were excluded. All subjects completed a self-report questionnaire that included questions about the quality of life in epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31), hospital anxiety, depression score (HADS), age, sex, occupation, marital status, education level, medical insurance, seizure frequency, trauma due to seizure activity, duration of epilepsy, and medication analysis.


RESULTS
In the univariate analysis, significant (p < 0.05) factors affecting the quality of life included seizure frequency, history of trauma due to seizures, depression, and anxiety. In the multivariate regression analysis, seizure frequency, anxiety, and depression were significant. Anxiety and depression were significant statistical factors in explaining a lower quality of life. Throughout the results, seizure frequency, depression, and anxiety had an inverse relation to scores. Age, sex, education, medical insurance, occupation, marital status, and medication were not significant for quality of life. In the subscale analysis of quality of life, seizure frequency was associated with seizure worry; occupation with energy/fatigue; anxiety with all subscale QOLIE; depression with emotional well-being, overall, energy/fatigue and cognitive and social functions; marital status with energy/fatigue; and medical insurance with medical effects.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings indicated that mood disorder and seizure frequency could be a powerful predictor for the quality of life.
Phabphal
Kanitpong
K
Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand. pkanitpo@medicine.psu.ac.th
Geater
Alan
A
Limapichart
Kitti
K
Satirapunya
Pornchai
P
Setthawatcharawanich
Suwanna
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult