The quality of life of people with epilepsy at a tertiary referral centre in Malaysia
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RESEARCH
Open Access
The quality of life of people with epilepsy at a tertiary referral centre in Malaysia Bachok Norsa’adah1*, Jiman Zainab2 and Aishah Knight3
Abstract Background: Epilepsy, a chronic disorder of brain characterised by a predisposition to generate epileptic seizures, has an effect on the psychosocial well-being of sufferers. Measuring the quality of life (QOL) of people with epilepsy (PWE) is increasingly recognized as an important component of clinical management. QOL measures differ between countries and there is limited information regarding PWE in Malaysia. The aim of this study was to determine the health related QOL and its relationship with the presence of seizures in PWE at a Malaysian tertiary referral center. Methods: A total of 106 adults with epilepsy attending the weekly neurology clinic of Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital were interviewed in this cross-sectional study. The QOL was measured using a validated Malay translated version of the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Scale-31 (QOLIE-31). Analysis of covariance was used for data analysis. Results: The mean age was 31.8 years old (standard deviation (SD) 11.0) and 56.6% were females. The mean total score of QOLIE-31was 68.9 (SD 15.9). The highest subscale score was the medication effects with a mean of 79.4 (SD 28.5) and the lowest was seizure worry with 47.5 (SD 25.0). Respondents who had one or more seizures in the past four weeks had significantly lower mean score of QOL [63.4, 95% CI: 59.2, 67.5] than those who had no seizure [mean score 73.5, 95% CI: 69.3, 77.9] after adjusting for age, sex, treatment, duration and age at onset of epilepsy [F test =11.215, p = 0.001, R2 = 0.159]. All the sub-scales of QOL showed significant moderate correlation with the frequency of seizures except for cognitive functioning. Conclusions: Worrying about seizure had the major contribution on QOL, while medication effect had the least. This study confirms the importance of seizure control for a better QOL in Malaysian patients with epilepsy. Keywords: Epilepsy, Quality of life, QOLIE-31, Frequency of seizures, Malaysia
Introduction Epilepsy is a common serious neurological disorder, caused by abnormalities in the electrical activity of the brain [1]. The diagnosis of epilepsy requires two elements: a history of at least one seizure and evidence of an enduring alteration in the brain activity [2]. It has been estimated that more than 200 thousand people in Malaysia suffer from epilepsy [3] but there is a lack of data on the present prevalence of epilepsy in Malaysia [4]. During the last few decades, greater attention has been given to the quality of life (QOL) of people with epilepsy (PWE). They have been shown to report a poorer QOL compared to the general population because they are more likely to have poor self-esteem and a high level of * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Unit of Biostatistics and Research Methodology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia Full list of author information is
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