Quality of life in childhood epilepsy with lateralized epileptogenic foci.
BACKGROUND
Measuring quality of life (QOL) helps to delineate mechanisms underlying the interaction of disease and psychosocial factors. In adults, epileptic foci in the left temporal lobe led to lower QOL and higher depression and anxiety as compared to the right-sided foci. No study addressed the development of QOL disturbances depending on the lateralization of epileptogenic focus. The objective of our study was to examine QOL in children with lateralized epileptiform discharges.


METHODS
Thirty-one parents of children with epilepsy filled the Health-Related Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE). Fifteen children had foci in the left hemisphere and sixteen in the right, as verified with Electroencephalography (EEG) examinations.


RESULTS
We found a significant correlation between foci lateralization and reduced QOL (Spearman's rho = 0.361, p < 0.046). Children with right hemispheric foci exhibited lower overall QOL, particularly in five areas: anxiety, social-activities, stigma, general-health, and quality-of-life.


CONCLUSIONS
We demonstrated for the first time that in children left- and right-hemispheric foci were associated with discordant QOL scores. Unlike in adults, foci in the right hemisphere led to worse emotional and social functioning demonstrating that seizures impact the brain differentially during development.
Mathiak
Krystyna A
KA
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Germany. kamathiak@ukaachen.de
Luba
Małgorzata
M
Mathiak
Klaus
K
Karzel
Katarzyna
K
Wolańczyk
Tomasz
T
Szczepanik
Elzbieta
E
Ostaszewski
Paweł
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000927:Anticonvulsants