Differences in quality of life of women and men with drug-resistant epilepsy in Poland

•We compare quality of life of men and women with drug-resistant epilepsy.•Men and women do not differ on quality of life measured by QOLIE-31-P.•For each sex, different factors predict QOLIE-31-P subscale scores.•Depression is an important factor affecting QOLIE-31-P in both sexes.

PurposeThe aim of the study was to assess the differences in health-related quality of life in groups of men and women suffering with drug-resistant epilepsy and to determine which factors influence quality of life.MethodsThe examined group consisted of 64 subjects with drug-resistant epilepsy - 31 men and 33 women. The mean duration of epilepsy was 17.56 ± 8.92 and 19 ± 9.56 years, respectively. The following diagnostic tools were used: QOLIE-31-P, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Revised (WAIS-R (PL)), and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD).ResultsScores in QOLIE-31-P did not differ significantly between groups of men and women with drug-resistant epilepsy; however, a more detailed analysis revealed certain disparities. Multiple regression analyses indicated that some distinct factors were associated with quality of life in each sex. In the group of women, there were no significant predictors of their quality of life. Among the group of men, depression intensity was the only statistically significant QoL predictor, explaining 16% of the variance (adjusted R2 = 0.16, F(6, 24) = 19.7, p < 0.01). Moreover, patients with depression had lowered scores in the Emotional Well-Being and Energy/Fatigue subscales, regardless of the sex.ConclusionThe study revealed that, despite similar scores in QOLIE-31-P, specific factors may differentially affect the quality of life of men and women with drug-resistant epilepsy in Poland. Nevertheless, replication of these results with a larger number of participants is needed for a more definitive conclusion.