癫痫患者的生活质量及其评定工具

生活质量应能反映多维的健康状况,至少包括由疾病或治疗引起的生理、心理和社会效应。相关的生活质量评定工具通常分为一般(不针对特定的年龄、疾病或治疗组)和特异(针对特定的症状、疾病或与治疗相关的患者的情况)两种。理想的生活质量评定工具应满足正确性、使用的广泛性和量表内容的特异性。同时满足这3个要求的有WPSI,ESI-55,QOLIE,LiverpoolBatteries等,研究癫患者生活质量时可作为首选。另外SF-36,改良SEALS等满足其中两个要求,可根据需要选用,因为可与对照组比较,预计将来会得到更广泛的应用。其他的生活质量评定工具,都推荐作为次选。我们也建议同时使用一般和癫特异生活质量量表。     

Clinically important change in quality of life in epilepsy

BACKGROUND: Health related quality of life (HRQOL) is increasingly recognised as an important outcome in epilepsy. However, interpretation of HRQOL data is difficult because there is no agreement on what constitutes a clinically important change in the scores of the various instruments. OBJECTIVES: To determine the minimum clinically important change, and small, medium, and large changes, in broadly used epilepsy specific and generic HRQOL instruments. METHODS: Patients with difficult to control focal epilepsy (n = 136) completed the QOLIE-89, QOLIE-31, SF-36, and HUI-III questionnaires twice, six months apart. Patient centred estimates of minimum important change, and of small, medium, and large change, were assessed on self administered 15 point global rating scales. Using regression analysis, the change in each HRQOL instrument that corresponded to the various categories of change determined by patients was obtained. The results were validated in a subgroup of patients tested at baseline and at nine months. RESULTS: The minimum important change was 10.1 for QOLIE-89, 11.8 for QOLIE-31, 4.6 for SF-36 MCS, 3.0 for SF-36 physical composite score, and 0.15 for HUI-III. All instruments differentiated between no change and minimum important change with precision, and QOLIE-89 and QOLIE-31 also distinguished accurately between minimum important change and medium or large change. Baseline HRQOL scores and the type of treatment (surgical or medical) had no impact on any of the estimates, and the results were replicated in the validation sample. CONCLUSIONS: These estimates of minimum important change, and small, medium, and large changes, in four HRQOL instruments in patients with epilepsy are robust and can distinguish accurately among different levels of change. The estimates allow for categorisation of patients into various levels of change in HRQOL, and will be of use in assessing the effect of interventions in individual patients.     

Impact of epilepsy surgery on quality of life: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Improved quality of life (QoL) is an important outcome goal following epilepsy surgery. This study aims to quantify change in QoL for adults with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) who undergo epilepsy surgery, and to explore clinicodemographic factors associated with these changes. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis using Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. All studies reporting pre- and post-epilepsy surgery QoL scores in adults with DRE via validated instruments were included. Meta-analysis assessed the postsurgery change in QoL. Meta-regression assessed the effect of postoperative seizure outcomes on postoperative QoL as well as change in pre- and postoperative QoL scores. A total of 3774 titles and abstracts were reviewed, and ultimately 16 studies, comprising 1182 unique patients, were included. Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory–31 item (QOLIE-31) meta-analysis included six studies, and QOLIE-89 meta-analysis included four studies. Postoperative change in raw score was 20.5 for QOLIE-31 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 10.9–30.1, I² = 95.5) and 12.1 for QOLIE-89 (95% CI = 8.0–16.1, I² = 55.0%). This corresponds to clinically meaningful QOL improvements. Meta-regression demonstrated a higher postoperative QOLIE-31 score as well as change in pre- and postoperative QOLIE-31 score among studies of cohorts with higher proportions of patients with favorable seizure outcomes. At an individual study level, preoperative absence of mood disorders, better preoperative cognition, fewer trials of antiseizure medications before surgery, high levels of conscientiousness and openness to experience at the baseline, engagement in paid employment before and after surgery, and not being on antidepressants following surgery were associated with improved postoperative QoL. This study demonstrates the potential for epilepsy surgery to provide clinically meaningful improvements in QoL, as well as identifies clinicodemographic factors associated with this outcome. Limitations include substantial heterogeneity between individual studies and high risk of bias.     

Factors associated with impaired quality of life in younger and older adults with epilepsy

The purpose of this study is to weigh psychological state, patients' demographics, seizure-related factors, and medical comorbidity in older adults with epilepsy against the same parameters in younger adults in an attempt to identify best quality of life (QoL) predictors. The Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory for Adults (QOLIE-31) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) were completed by 146 patients with localization-related epilepsy. There was no statistical difference in the QOLIE-31 total score between younger and older adults. Best QoL predictors were BDI-II and seizure frequency, with BDI-II providing more than 3 times the impact of seizure frequency. BDI-II also substantively predicted most QOLIE-31 domains. Additionally, epilepsy duration positively correlated with overall QoL only among older adults. In summary, in younger as well as older adult epilepsy patients, depressive symptoms emerge as the strongest predictor of QoL. However, older adults appear to adapt better to their chronic health problem.     

Patient-validated content of a Greek version of the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-89) combined with individualized measures

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to determine the content validity of a Greek version of the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-89) and to investigate whether it can be developed in combination with individualized measures to assess the health-related needs of the individual patient with epilepsy in Cyprus. METHODS: The QOLIE-89 was translated into Greek and combined with individualized validation measures. The instrument was administered to 44 adult outpatients receiving medication for epilepsy. They were asked to evaluate the clarity and appropriateness of the QOLIE-89 content and the accuracy of their scores, and to report their quality-of-life-related concerns. Reported concerns were compared with the QOLIE-89 scores and content. RESULTS: The majority of participants (92.9%) endorsed the representativeness of the assessment. Quality-of-life (QoL) overall scores correlated significantly with satisfaction with QoL. Twenty-seven (30.3%) QOLIE-89 items were deemed unclear or difficult to answer and 13 items (14.6%) were deemed not relevant or inappropriate by > or =7.1% (N = 3) of patients. At least 7.1% of participants disagreed that their scores were representative of their self-perceived QoL, on 23 items (25.8%). Participants reported 33 QoL-related concerns, of which nearly a quarter were not addressed in the original QOLIE-89. Correlations of QOLIE-89 domains with content-related concerns ranged from phi = 0.43 to phi = 0.85 ( P < 0.01), lower correlations coinciding with the scale content that was criticized. CONCLUSIONS: Patients were able to use superimposed measures to evaluate the content of QOLIE-89 and identified areas that could be incorporated into an instrument for the determination of patients' individual QoL-related concerns.     

Epilepsie und Intelligenzminderung

Background

The concept of quality of life or health-related quality of life has been established since the early 1990s in various fields of medicine and social welfare, including epileptology. Several validated questionnaires to assess quality of life (QoL) of people with epilepsy are available and were used, for example, to evaluate the efficacy of new drugs, epilepsy surgery or other interventions. However, most of these questionnaires are not or only after modifications equally applicable to persons with intellectual disabilities (ID).

Objectives

An overview on instruments and scales for the assessment of QoL in persons with epilepsy and ID is provided. Methodological problems of the assessment of QoL in persons with ID, especially in persons with ID and epilepsy, and possible solutions are discussed.

Methods

The review is based on a search of PubMed-listed articles. In addition, reviews and some German (nonPubMed listed) publications were considered.

Results and discussion

Several validated scales for the assessment of QoL in persons with ID have been developed internationally. However, only a few of them are available in a validated, German version, e.g., the WHOQOL-BREF and the module WHOQOL-DIS for adults with ID and the DISADKIDS scales for children and adolescents with disabilities or chronic illnesses. The latter include an additional module for children with epilepsy. These scales can be used for self and proxy assessment of QoL by parents or carers.Some QoL instruments are developed especially for persons with ID and epilepsy, e.g. the GEOS scales for adults, including a self-report version (client version GEOS-C), and the ELDQOL, ICND, QOLCE for children based on proxy assessments of QoL by parents. However, none of these scales to our knowledge is available in a validated German version. A German version of the GEOS scales is currently being tested at the Epilepsy Center Bethel.According to the concept of QoL, self report should be preferred to proxy assessment. However, this is a major methodological challenge in the presence of ID. Not even the assessment of QoL using a modified or simplified QoL questionnaire (with assistance if necessary) or as a standardized interview will not be practicable in many cases, especially in severe ID. The proxy assessment of QoL by carers or relatives is only partially concordant with the self-report by the person with ID dependent on several factors like severity of disability, knowledge of the person etc.Further studies are necessary to develop QoL instruments and to investigate QoL especially in patients with epilepsy and ID.

     

Development and Cross-Cultural Translations of a 31-Item Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory

Summary: Purpose: We report the development of a questionnaire to assess health-related quality of-life (HRQOL) in people with epilepsy and the process of cross-cultural translations of the questionnaire.
Methods: A sample of 304 adults with epilepsy from 25 seizure clinics in the United States was used to derive an abbreviated questionnaire focusing on epilepsy-related issues from a longer, 89-item instrument (QOLIE-89). A rigorous forward-backward-forward system was used for cross-cultural translation.
Results: A 31-item questionnaire (QOLIE-31, version 1.0) resulted, comprising seven subscales covering genral and epilepsy-specific domains. Subscale and total scores can be calculated. The subscales were grouped into two factors: Emotional/Psychological Effects (seizure worry, overall QOL, emotional well-being, energy/fatigue subscales) and Medical/Social Effects (medication effects, work-driving-social limits, cognitive function subscales). Cross-cultural translations were made from U.S.-English into Danish, Dutch, German, Canadian French, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, and U.K. English Versions 1.1.
Conclusions: Our results support the reliability and validity of the QOLIE-31 (U.S.-English version 1.0) as a measure of HRQOLIE. Cross-cultural translations into nine other languages make it feasible to use the QOLIE-31 (version 1.1) in multinational clinical trials after validation in each population or concurrent with clinical trial.     

Evaluating quality of life in epilepsy: The role of screening for adverse drug effects,depression, and anxiety

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of validated screening tools for antiepileptic drug (AED) adverse effects, depression, and anxiety to measure the quality of life (QoL) in people with epilepsy (PWE).MethodsPatients in a tertiary epilepsy service were screened for quality of life (using QOLIE-31), major depressive disorder (MDD) (NDDI-E), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) (GAD-7), and AED effects (AEP). Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) generalized anxiety disorder module was also performed. For AEP validation in French, the internal structural validity was analyzed. Dimensional (NDDI-E and GAD-7 scores) and categorical (MDD and GAD) analyses were performed to investigate interactions between QoL and AEP.ResultsA total of 132 (87 females) subjects were included. The French version of the AEP demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties (Cronbach's α 0.87). Correlations between NDDI-E, GAD-7, AEP, and QOLIE-31 scores were high, and significant for all subscales of QOLIE-31; no effect of seizure-related variables was seen. Some sex differences in QOLIE-31 subscales were found, and mean AEP score was higher in females. Age, sex, NDDI-E, GAD-7, and AEP scores accounted for 61% of variance of QOLIE-31 scores. Differential effects were seen on QOLIE-31 subscales: AEP strongly correlated with all subscales; GAD-7 scores more strongly correlated with “Seizure Worry”; NDDI-E with “Energy-Fatigue”; and both NDDI-E and GAD-7 scores strongly correlated with “Emotional Well-Being”. Categorical analysis of groups with MDD alone, GAD alone, MDD + GAD, and neither MDD nor GAD showed significant differences in AEP and QOLIE-31 scores, with MDD + GAD showing the most AED effects and the poorest QoL.SignificanceThe combination of screening tools for depression (NDDI-E), anxiety (GAD-7), and AED effects (AEP) has a strong power for evaluating QoL in PWE. Coexisting MMD and GAD were associated with the poorest quality of life and the highest AEP scores.     

Quality of life among epileptic patients in Qassim Region,KSA

Objectives:To explore the influence of epilepsy on quality of life (QoL) among people with epilepsy in Saudi Arabia, and its association with sociodemographic and clinical characteristic aspects in the Qassim region.Methods:A cross-sectional multi-centered study done in the Qassim region from June 2018 to May 2019. A self-administered questionnaire was provided to 216 participants who attended the neurology clinic. We used a validated Arabic version of the QoL in Epilepsy (QOLIE-31) to measure the QoL.Results:The mean of the overall QOLIE-31 score was 64.23 ± 17.8. we found that employment status had a significant influence on the overall score (p<0.001) and all other QOL domains (rho ranged from -.136 for energy fatigue to -.193 for social function) Patients with focal seizures were significantly higher in emotional wellbeing (rho=-.159), seizure worry (rho=-.226), cognitive function (rho=-.166) and overall score (p=0.010) than patients with the generalized type. Monotherapy patients have higher scores in total (p<0.001) and all subscales except seizure worry and emotional wellbeing than those on polytherapy.Conclusion:Employment status, type of seizure, and AED number are the most important factors affecting Saudi patient’s QoL.

Many studies in multiple countries have tested quality of life (QoL) in epilepsy, and have highlighted areas of common concern. It has been shown that among Arabian people, epileptic patients are generally more susceptible to having higher levels of anxiety and depression.1 In Kenya, researchers have compared QoL between persons with epilepsy (PWE) and healthy people who have the same environment, social relationship, and living circumstances. These authors found that low education level, unemployment rate, unskilled employment, and low income were higher in PWE compared to their non-epileptic accompanying people.2 Despite the high prevalence rate in Saudi Arabia (6.54 per 1000),3 there has been limited research about the impact of QoL in epileptic patients. To better identify the factors that influence Saudi epilepsy patients, here we explore the influence of epilepsy on QoL among Saudi epileptic patients.     

Quality of Life in Epilepsy: Multidimensional Profile and Underlying Latent Dimensions

Part of our study, the Dutch Quality of Life and Quality of Care Investigation in Epilepsy (DUQQIE), intended to cover several of the components of the quality of life (QoL) concept. To this end, a series of already existing generic and disease-specific instruments was selected covering several parts of the QoL components in order to construct a multidimensional “QoL profile” for people with epilepsy and to look for underlying second-order QoL dimensions. From the records of four outpatient clinics, 210 persons with epilepsy were randomly selected. During their visit to the outpatient clinic, they completed a questionnaire assessing, among others, health perceptions, psychological well-being, and social functioning. Additional information about their medical and psycho–social status was gathered from the patient files. A large part of our research group was not seizure-free. As far as comparisons with other patient or healthy groups could be made, it appeared that they mostly did not (much) worse and all scores were above the scale midpoint. However, almost two-thirds of the scale means lied below a so-called “normative mean.” Higher-order factor analysis yielded one general factor measuring the “Overall Quality of Life.” Furthermore, after rotation of this general factor, two separate factors could be constructed referring to the psycho–physical and psycho–social aspects of QoL, respectively. We decided not to develop “quality of life instrument” de novo to the already vast and ever increasing area of QoL instruments, but to use already existing, mostly generic, and well-validated instruments. The most important advantage of this approach is that it allows for “normative controls” (norms; other groups) and “conceptual modeling.” The latter is that the QoL concept can be unfolded into its component parts and hypothetically related to each other.     

Quality of life instruments for children and adolescents with neurodisabilities: how to choose the appropriate instrument

Aim  There are many misconceptions about what constitutes 'quality of life' (QoL). It is often difficult for researchers and clinicians to determine which instruments will be most appropriate to their purpose. The aim of the current paper is to describe QoL instruments for children and adolescents with neurodisabilities against criteria that we think are important when choosing or developing a QoL instrument.
Method  QoL instruments for children and adolescents with neurodisabilities were reviewed and described based on their purpose, conceptual focus, origin of domains and items, opportunity for self report, clarity (lack of ambiguity), potential threat to self-esteem, cognitive or emotional burden, number of items and time to complete, and psychometric properties.
Results  Several generic and condition-specific instruments were identified for administration to children and adolescents with neurodisabilities – cerebral palsy, epilepsy and spina bifida, and hydrocephalus. Many have parent-proxy and self-report versions and adequate reliability and validity. However, they were often developed with minimal involvement from families, focus on functioning rather than well-being, and have items that may produce emotional upset.
Interpretation  As well as ensuring that a QoL instrument has sound psychometric properties, researchers and clinicians should understand how an instrument's theoretical focus will have influenced domains, items, and scoring.     

Changes in Quality of Life in Epilepsy: How Large Must They Be to Be Real?

PURPOSE: The study goal was to assess the magnitude of change in generic and epilepsy-specific health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) instruments needed to exclude chance or error at various levels of certainty in patients with medically refractory epilepsy. METHODS: Forty patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and clearly defined criteria of clinical stability received HRQOL measurements twice, 3 months apart, using the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-89 and -31 (QOLIE-89 and QOLIE-31), Liverpool Impact of Epilepsy, adverse drug events, seizure severity scales, and the Generic Health Utilities Index (HUI-III). Standard error of measurement and test-retest reliability were obtained for all scales and for QOLIE-89 subscales. Using the Reliable Change Index described by Jacobson and Truax, we assessed the magnitude of change required by HRQOL instruments to be 90 and 95% certain that real change has occurred, as opposed to change due to chance or measurement error. RESULTS: Clinical features, point estimates and distribution of HRQOL measures, and test-retest reliability (all > 0.70) were similar to those previously reported. Score changes of +/-13 points in QOLIE-89, +/-15 in QOLIE-31, +/-6.3 in Liverpool seizure severity-ictal, +/-11 in Liverpool adverse drug events, +/-0.25 in HUI-III, and +/-9.5 in impact of epilepsy exclude chance or measurement error with 90% certainty. These correspond, respectively, to 13, 15, 17, 18, 25, and 32% of the potential range of change of each instrument. CONCLUSIONS: Threshold values for real change varied considerably among HRQOL tools but were relatively small for QOLIE-89, QOLIE-31, Liverpool Seizure Severity, and adverse drug events. In some instruments, even relatively large changes cannot rule out chance or measurement error. The relation between the Reliable Change Index and other measures of change and its distinction from measures of minimum clinically important change are discussed.     

Characteristics associated with quality of life among people with drug-resistant epilepsy

Quality of Life (QoL) is the preferred outcome in non-pharmacological trials, but there is little UK population evidence of QoL in epilepsy. In advance of evaluating an epilepsy self-management course we aimed to describe, among UK participants, what clinical and psycho-social characteristics are associated with QoL. We recruited 404 adults attending specialist clinics, with at least two seizures in the prior year and measured their self-reported seizure frequency, co-morbidity, psychological distress, social characteristics, including self-mastery and stigma, and epilepsy-specific QoL (QOLIE-31-P). Mean age was 42 years, 54% were female, and 75% white. Median time since diagnosis was 18 years, and 69% experienced ≥10 seizures in the prior year. Nearly half (46%) reported additional medical or psychiatric conditions, 54% reported current anxiety and 28% reported current depression symptoms at borderline or case level, with 63% reporting felt stigma. While a maximum QOLIE-31-P score is 100, participants’ mean score was 66, with a wide range (25–99). In order of large to small magnitude: depression, low self-mastery, anxiety, felt stigma, a history of medical and psychiatric comorbidity, low self-reported medication adherence, and greater seizure frequency were associated with low QOLIE-31-P scores. Despite specialist care, UK people with epilepsy and persistent seizures experience low QoL. If QoL is the main outcome in epilepsy trials, developing and evaluating ways to reduce psychological and social disadvantage are likely to be of primary importance. Educational courses may not change QoL, but be one component supporting self-management for people with long-term conditions, like epilepsy.     

Validation of quality of life instruments in ALS.

BACKGROUND: Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) probably improves survival in ALS, but its effect on quality of life (QoL) is less clear. Most potentially useful QoL instruments have not been validated in this context. METHODS: We assessed the validity (multi-trait multi-method analysis), internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), test-retest stability (intra-class correlations) and response to disease severity and NIV (effect size) of two generic instruments, the Short Form 36 (SF-36) and the General Well-being Schedule; two specific instruments, the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ) and the Sleep Apnoea QoL Index (SAQLI), and a scale of daytime sleepiness, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) in 23 subjects with ALS. Functional status, limb and axial muscle strength, and maximum inspiratory pressure were assessed, together with the QoL measurements, every two months. RESULTS: All instruments showed good or excellent validity, internal consistency and test-retest stability overall. Subjects without symptomatic respiratory compromise had difficulty identifying activities for the CRQ dyspnoea domain and symptoms for the SAQLI symptoms domain. Marked floor effects were observed in the physical function and role domains of the SF-36. Domains assessing sleep-related problems and mental health showed greater effect of differences in respiratory function than functional status, and the greatest response to NIV. CONCLUSIONS: Of the generic instruments the SF-36 was most useful, but limited by floor effects. Of the specific instruments, the SAQLI symptoms domain was most responsive to NIV, but this instrument took longer to complete, and several items were inappropriate. The CRQ and ESS are valid and responsive alternatives.     

拉莫三嗪对癫痫患者生活质量影响的研究

目的：评价拉莫三嗪对癫痫患者生活质量的影响。方法：采用多中心、前瞻性的研究方法，对新诊断癫痫患者应用拉莫三嗪治疗，并在基线期及用药6个月后，采用QOLIE-31、MOSSF-36量表、数字符号转换测验、HAMD抑郁量表和女性专用调查问卷对患者进行生活质量评价。结果：共纳入新诊断癫痂患者282例。MOSSF-36量表的8个项目得分在用药后均有显著提高（P〈0．01）；QOLIE-31问卷中“对癫痫的担心”、“情绪”、“活力”、“认知”、“药物不良反应”、“社会功能”及“总体自身健康评价”项目得分在用药后均有显著提高（P〈0．01）。用药后，患者Hamilton抑郁量表平均3．65分，显著低于基线期6．42分（P〈0．01）；数字符号转换测验得分在用药后与基线期比较有显著提高（P〈0．01）。结论：拉莫三嗪初始单药治疗能在一定程度上改善新诊断癫痫患者的生活质量。     

A Brief Questionnaire to Screen for Quality of Life in Epilepsy The QOLIE-10

Summary: Purpose : To evaluate a brief questionnaire to screen aspects of health-related quality of life for persons with epilepsy.
Methods : A study of 304 adults with epilepsy was undertaken at 25 seizure clinics in the United States. It was used for derivation of a brief screening tool from a longer instrument (QOLIE-89).
Results : The 10–item questionnaire (QOLIE-10) covers general and epilepsy-specific domains, grouped into three factors: Epilepsy Effects (memory, physical effects, and mental effects of medication), Mental Health (energy, depression, overall quality of life), and Role Functioning (seizure worry, work, driving, social limits). Scale scores were significantly different among seizure groups (p = 0.003).
Conclusions : The QOLIE-10 can be completed by a patient in several minutes and reviewed rapidly by the physician. This screening tool could provide potentially useful information for initial assessment or follow-up of problem areas that are not commonly evaluated during routine clinical visits with patients with epilepsy.     

Psychometric validation of the French version of the side-effects and life satisfaction inventory (SEALS) in epileptic patients: comparison with the QOLIE-31 inventory and a generic quality of life questionnaire.

A psychometric evaluation of a French version of the side-effects and life satisfaction inventory (SEALS) was carried out. SEALS was compared to the quality of life in epilepsy-31 questionnaire (QOLIE-31) and a generic, health-related quality-of-life questionnaire, the Nottingham health profile (NHP). The psychometric properties of SEALS, assessed in 190 adult subjects with epilepsy, included: acceptability, test-retest reliability and validity, multitrait analysis including internal consistency and item-to-scale correlations, construct validity using factor analysis and discriminative validity using associations with disease characteristics and treatment effects, and, correlations with NHP and QOLIE-31 scores for convergent and divergent validity. Both acceptability and reproducibility were good and internal consistency was high (Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.92). Factor analysis with varimax rotation identified five factors: the first, related to cognitive function accounted for 26.0% of the variance. Discriminative validity was good for most treatment characteristics (tolerability, seizure control, compliance) and clinical features (epilepsy type, seizure frequency and severity, depressive symptoms). Correlations with the NHP and QOLIE-31 scores were consistently strong. It was concluded that the psychometric properties of the French translation of SEALS were similar to the original English version. In addition, SEALS provides information on quality of life that is complementary to that obtained with QOLIE-31. In particular, with respect to the QOLIE-31, the SEALS provides information on cognitive and neuropsychological aspects of impairment of quality of life, whereas the QOLIE-31 has a broader scope, taking into account multiple aspects of quality of life in epilepsy.     

The effect of seizure severity on quality of life in epilepsy

Seizure severity is an important aspect of epilepsy. The relationship between seizure severity and quality of life in epilepsy, however, has been incompletely explored. With a data set of 118 women from the baseline phase of a clinical treatment trial, the relationship between seizure severity and aspects of quality of life was evaluated. Two domains of the Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31) correlated highly significantly with seizure severity: Seizure Worry (r=-0.265, P=.004) and Social Functioning (r=-0.280, P=0.002). Two additional domains were significantly correlated: Overall Quality of Life (r=-0.210, P=0.023) and Cognitive (r=-0.209, P=0.024). When the potentially confounding effect of depression, measured by the Beck Depression Inventory, was controlled for, the regression of seizure severity with QOLIE-31 Seizure Worry remained significant (P=0.006, R(2)=0.153), as did the regression with QOLIE-31 Social Functioning (P=0.002, R(2)=0.184) and the regression with QOLIE-31 Cognitive (P=0.037, R(2)=0.30). These findings indicate that severe and potentially injurious seizure behaviors contribute to anxiety and socially avoidant behavior for persons with intractable epilepsy.     

Manic/hypomanic symptoms and quality of life measures in patients with epilepsy

PurposeAlthough several studies pointed out an association between depression and quality of life (QoL) of patients with epilepsy, data about manic/hypomanic symptoms (MHS) remain scanty. In this study, we sought to investigate their relationship with social and health-related QoL measures in patients with epilepsy.MethodsConsecutive adult outpatients with epilepsy were assessed using the M.I.N.I. Plus version 5.0.0 and the QOLIE-31.ResultsAmong 117 evaluated patients, 17 fulfilled DSM-IV criteria for manic/hypomanic episodes. Patients with MHS, as compared to those without, showed lower scores in emotional well-being, energy and fatigue, medication effects, social function and total QOLIE score. However, there was no between-groups difference in educational achievements, employment status, living situation, comorbid psychiatric disorders, history of suicide or abuse of illicit drugs.ConclusionsMHS are associated with poor QoL measures in patients with epilepsy, though without differences in educational achievements, employment status and independent living.