Seizure severity is associated with poor quality of life in people living with epilepsy (PLWE) in Uganda: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Rationale-There is a paucity of information about the association of seizure severity and quality of life in people living with epilepsy (PLWE) in sub-Saharan Africa. We evaluated the relationship between seizure severity and health-related quality of life of patients with epilepsy being followed up in an outpatient neurology clinic in urban central Uganda Methods-Forty-eight PLWE who met the study inclusion criteria were enrolled. The study questionnaire was comprised of the Chalfont Seizure Severity Scale, and the Quality of Life Inventory in Epilepsy (QOLIE-31). Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to determine the association between seizure severity and quality of life score. Results-The median age of the study participants was 25 years, with median age (IQR) of epilepsy onset of 12 (6−18) years. Over 57.4% of the study participants were unemployed. The mean (SD) of QOLIE-31 and Seizure Severity Score was 62.5 (14.5) and 62.4 (1. 6), respectively. There was no gender difference in the seizure severity scores (P = 0. 451). An inverse relationship existed between seizure severity and the total QOLIE-31 score (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, r = −0.48, p = 0.001), and seizure worry (r = −0.31, p=0.030),

Household poverty, schooling, stigma and quality of life in adolescents with epilepsy in rural Uganda

“…Another key observation from our study was QoL among ALE reduced with increasing monthly seizure frequency and age of onset of first seizure. Prior research concurs with our findings showing that seizure frequency [73] and age of seizure onset reduces QoL. This is because increasing seizure frequency affects neurodevelopment especially in developing brains of adolescents resulting in physical, socio-emotional, learning, and cognitive difficulties.…”

Severity and disability related to epilepsy from the perspective of patients and physicians: A cross-cultural adaptation of the GASE and GAD scales

“…Additionally, epilepsy impairs the quality of life (QoL) of patients due to diverse factors such as uncontrolled and unpredictable seizures, psychosocial issues, stigma, and prolonged use of antiseizure medication (ASM) [1][2][3]. Seizure severity affects a patient's autonomy, limiting their social life and employability, and causing injuries and hospitalisation [4]. However, the impact of epilepsy on a person's life may be difficult to quantify objectively and in a standardised manner.…”

Quality of life, fatigue and seizure severity in people living with epilepsy in a selected Nigerian population

“…Epilepsy affects a broad range of aspects of QOL of its sufferers, and its effects can be particularly adverse on the physical and mental health, social function, energy and vitality of PLWE [2,3,11]. The extent to which the QOL of PLWE is affected is dependent on several factors including age at onset of epilepsy, duration of epilepsy, interval between seizures, seizure severity, socioeconomic and educational status and present age [9,12,13] The severity of epileptic seizures varies among individuals, and can influence the impact of epilepsy on PLWE [14][15][16]. Seizures adversely affect health-related QOL, and are the most evident determinant of QOL of PLWE [14,16,17].…”

“…The extent to which the QOL of PLWE is affected is dependent on several factors including age at onset of epilepsy, duration of epilepsy, interval between seizures, seizure severity, socioeconomic and educational status and present age [9,12,13] The severity of epileptic seizures varies among individuals, and can influence the impact of epilepsy on PLWE [14][15][16]. Seizures adversely affect health-related QOL, and are the most evident determinant of QOL of PLWE [14,16,17]. However, even PLWE who have been seizure-free for a long time still exhibit impaired QOL [18].…”

“…A number of reports have shown that PLWE suffer decline in QOL and may experience fatigue [9,10,21]. Though, it is well-known that seizure severity is associated with poorer QOL among PLWE [14,16,17], the relationship between seizure severity and fatigue is still largely unclear. Whereas QOL has received a relatively considerable attention, studies of seizure severity and fatigue among PLWE samples from African population is rather sparse.…”