Assessment of quality of life in patients with epilepsy

Quality of Life in Epileptic Patients

Abstract

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Epilepsy is a chronic brain disorder that negatively impacts health, emotional state, social abilities, and quality of life. The study determines QoL in individuals with epilepsy to support patient-centred care.

 METHODOLOGY: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study at Lahore General Hospital among epileptic patients aged 18-35 years. Before data collection, an ethical approval letter, UIPH/UOL/849/2024, was obtained from The University of Lahore (approval number: ECM#2023-703), and the study was completed within six months. We analyzed data from 385 participants, selected via convenience sampling, using SPSS 26.0 based on QOLIE-10 responses. We used the chi-square test to assess QoL in epileptic patients.

RESULTS: Of 385 participants, most (38.7%) were aged 21–24 years; 63.1% were male, and 61.0% resided in rural areas. Regarding seizures, 62.9% had >10 seizures in the past year, while only 6.8% were seizure-free. QoL outcomes were 53.5% poor, 42.9% moderate, and 3.6% good. Rural residents had significantly poorer QoL (60.4%) than urban residents (42.7%; p = 0.002).