title: Influence of Occupational Status on the Quality of Life of Chinese Adult Patients with Epilepsy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epilepsy is one of the most common serious neurological disorders. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of occupational status on the quality of life of Chinese adult patients with epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study surveyed 819 subjects clinically diagnosed with epilepsy for more than 1 year in 11 hospitals in Beijing; 586 were employed (71.55%). All subjects completed the case report form with inquiries on demographic data, social factors, and illness. The patients' quality of life was assessed using the quality of life in patients with epilepsy-31 items (QOLIE-31) questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The QOLIE-31 score in the employed group was significantly higher than that in the unemployed group. Furthermore, the scores in all the sections (overall quality of life, energy/fatigue, emotional well-being, seizure worry, cognition, social function, and medication effects) of the employed group were higher than those of the unemployed group. Both the employed and unemployed groups achieved the highest difference in social function. The QOLIE-31 score of students was higher than those of farmers and workers. Both the students and workers scored higher in the quality of life compared with the adult peasants living with epilepsy. The students and farmers showed significant differences in QOLIE-31 score, cognition, emotional well-being, overall quality of life, energy/fatigue, and social function. In contrast, no significant difference was noted in seizure worry and medication effects across the three different kinds of occupation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Occupational status might affect the quality of life of Chinese adult patients with epilepsy, and social function is the most important contributing factor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epilepsy, Graduate Training Base of Jinzhou Medical University, First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China.
authors.forename: Xiang-Min
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Department of Epilepsy, First Affiliated Hospital, General Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing 100048, China.
authors.forename: Cheng-Yun
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Department of Hospital Management, First Affiliated Hospital, General Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing 100048, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hospital Management, First Affiliated Hospital, General Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing 100048, China.
authors.forename: Cheng-Feng
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Epilepsy, First Affiliated Hospital, General Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing 100048, China.
authors.forename: Ze-Jie
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Hospital Management, First Affiliated Hospital, General Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing 100048, China.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hospital Management, First Affiliated Hospital, General Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing 100048, China.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Department of Hospital Management, First Affiliated Hospital, General Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing 100048, China.
authors.forename: Fu-Li
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D004651:Employment; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult