EQ-5D-based utilities and healthcare utilization in Thai adults with chronic epilepsy

Quality of life and resource use are key parameters that justify economic values in treatments for epilepsy. Health profiles and service utilization were assessed in 224 adults with 15.7 years of epilepsy in two super-tertiary care facilities in Thailand. The European Quality of Life, 5-Dimension (EQ-5D)-based utilities and subsequent outpatient (OP) visits and hospitalizations were determined with respect to seizure control outcomes that were assessed by neurologists. Mean utility and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were respectively higher in 67 patients who are seizure-free (0.82 and 78.9) than in 157 patients who had uncontrolled or persistent seizures, which were divided into seizure reduction (0.79 and 75.5) and no improvement in seizure frequency (0.72 and 73.5). Controlling for patient characteristics, those who are seizure-free had significantly higher utility and VAS scores than those with no improvement by 0.10 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.03-0.17) and 6.25 (95% CI: 0.09-12.41), respectively. Seizure-free patients were less likely to report pain or discomfort, as compared with patients with seizure reduction (odds ratio (OR): 0.41, 95% CI: 0.19-0.90) and patients with no improvement (OR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.13-0.75). Over a six-month period, mean OP visits were significantly lower in seizure-free patients (2.27 times) than in those with seizure reduction (3.00 times) and those with no improvement (4.08 times). Mean hospitalizations over 12 months among the three groups were 0.03, 0.24, and 0.14 times, respectively. For persistent seizures, 50% received only conventional antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). When epilepsy treatments are considered for their costs and effectiveness, utilities and healthcare use, conditional on seizure control status, can be applied for further analyses.