Factors associated with quality of life in a low-income population with epilepsy

- Epilepsy must be considered as a syndrome in which seizures are the main symptom but not the most disabling symptom
- In low-income populations with epilepsy (LIPE), depression could be considered one of the main predictors of quality of life.
- Severe daytime sleepiness, etiology of epilepsy and therapeutic response, are related to QoL in LIPE.

ObjectiveCurrently few studies describe the variables that impact quality of life (QoL) in patients with epilepsy in low-income populations. The study aimed to establish relationships between QoL scores obtained through the QOLIE-10 inventory and clinical variables in patients older than 18 years diagnosed with epilepsy.MethodsWe conducted an observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study. We conducted consecutive recruitment of the data for all patients with an epilepsy diagnosis who were treated in the neurology department of Kennedy Western Hospital located in Bogota, Colombia. The variables that were statistically significant in the bivariate analysis were included in a multiple linear regression model.Results220 patients were evaluated. The 50th percentile of the total score of the QOLIE-10 scale was 70 (95% CI: 67,5-75). The demographic profile was characterized by low level of education, unemployment, and single marital status. The variables included in the regression model that significantly affected QoL were depression (p < 0.001), severe daytime sleepiness (p = 0.030), structural/metabolic etiology of epilepsy (p = 0.021), drug resistant epilepsy (p = 0.015), and epilepsy with undetermined antiepileptic drug response (p = 0.007).ConclusionsThe QoL in patients with epilepsy from a low-economic population is determined primarily by depression, severe daytime sleepiness, etiology of epilepsy (structural/metabolic etiology), and the type of therapeutic response to antiepileptic drugs (drug resistant epilepsy and undetermined antiepileptic drug response). These data suggest the need to promote early diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric comorbidities and sleep disorders, as well as effective and timely therapeutic interventions to prevent drug resistance in epilepsy.