Quality of Life in Epileptic Patients in Southern Thailand
Kanitpong Phabphal MD*, Alan Geater PhD**, Kitti Limapichart MD*, Pornchai Satirapunya MD*, Suwanna Setthawatcharawanich MD*
Affiliation : * Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand ** Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
Objective : To determine the risk factors for a low quality of life in Thai epileptic patients.
Material and Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Songklanagarind Hospital, Thailand.
Epileptic patients aged 15-50 years old, who had been treated with a stable dose of antiepileptic drug(s) for
more than three months, were enrolled. Those who had other chronic medical illnesses and pregnant women
were excluded. All subjects completed a self-report questionnaire that included questions about the quality of
life in epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31), hospital anxiety, depression score (HADS), age, sex, occupation, marital
status, education level, medical insurance, seizure frequency, trauma due to seizure activity, duration of
epilepsy, and medication analysis.
Results : In the univariate analysis, significant (p < 0.05) factors affecting the quality of life included seizure
frequency, history of trauma due to seizures, depression, and anxiety. In the multivariate regression analysis,
seizure frequency, anxiety, and depression were significant. Anxiety and depression were significant statistical
factors in explaining a lower quality of life. Throughout the results, seizure frequency, depression, and anxiety
had an inverse relation to scores. Age, sex, education, medical insurance, occupation, marital status, and
medication were not significant for quality of life. In the subscale analysis of quality of life, seizure frequency
was associated with seizure worry; occupation with energy/fatigue; anxiety with all subscale QOLIE; depression
with emotional well-being, overall, energy/fatigue and cognitive and social functions; marital status with
energy/fatigue; and medical insurance with medical effects.
Conclusion : These findings indicated that mood disorder and seizure frequency could be a powerful predictor
for the quality of life.
Keywords : Depression, Anxiety, Seizure frequency, Epilepsy, Quality of life, Thailand
