Predictors of Quality of Life in Patients with Epilepsy

Quality of life among patients with epilepsy is severely affected by consequences of physical, psychological, social of epilepsy. The aim of present study was to evaluate predictors of quality of life in epileptic patients and to determine the main effective factors. This is a comparative cross sectional study on 100 epileptic patients and 100 healthy people from patient's relatives who referred to neurology clinic of 22 Bahman hospital in Mashhad. Data were collected through the WHO quality of life (QOL) standard questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine predictor factors of quality of life in patients with epilepsy. The mean total score of quality of life in two groups of patients and healthy people showed no significant difference. Only in the physical (P<0.001), environment (P=0.002) and social domain (P<0.001) differences were statistically significant. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age, sex, education level, type of epilepsy, and numbers of seizures in one month are effective factors. In all four domains of QOL, quality of life score decreased by increasing the episodes of seizures. Moreover, females compared with males had higher quality of life scores. Age, sex, education level, type of epilepsy, and number of seizures were important predictors of total QOL in patients with epilepsy. Number of seizures and female gender had higher effect on QOL. Based on our findings controlling numbers of seizures is the key factor in improving the quality of life among patients with epilepsy.