Quality of Life of People with Epilepsy in Iran, the Gulf, and Near East (original) (raw)

Current knowledge about epilepsy and associated psychosocial conditions

Journal of Epileptology, 2014

SUMMARYSocial knowledge about epilepsy has significant influence on shaping attitudes towards people with this disorder.The aim of the article was to find out an answer to the following question: How does the level of knowledge and perceiving people with epilepsy differ across societies of different countries?We evaluated 30 publications published between 2000 and 2013 on measuring the knowledge about epilepsy and psycho-social functioning of people with epilepsy. The articles were divided into five groups (including five continents): Europe-14 articles: six from Poland and eight from other countries, one from New Zealand, five from America, six from Asia and four from Africa.Despite widespread occurrence of the disorder in the world, the level of knowledge about epilepsy is low. Most authors, but also respondents, still postulate the necessity to introduce education on the matter to various age groups. The best form of communication used by the respondents is the media.

Descriptive epidemiology: prevalence, incidence, sociodemographic factors, socioeconomic domains, and quality of life of epilepsy: an update and systematic review

2018

Introduction The purpose of this study was to investigate the contributions of quality of life (QOL), sociodemographic factors (age, sex, etc.), residential areas, general attitudes toward epilepsy, socioeconomic domains, prevalence and incidence in epileptic patients from Iran. Material and methods A systematic literature search was conducted, including database searches in PubMed, Medline, Embase, ScienceDirect, Scopus, ISC, Health, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library Database of relevant articles, personal files and systematic reviews to identify studies examining risk factors in epilepsy. Results This review article shows that certain socio-demographic and socio-economic factors, geographic variation in epidemiologic patterns of epilepsy as well as clinical factors may be crucial in determining QOL in epilepsy patients and provides further evidence supporting the validity of the scale in QOL based on consideration of different target groups in different areas. Conclusions P...

ORIGINAL REPORT Quality of Life of Epileptic Patients Compared to General Population in Tehran

2009

Epilepsy is a chronic disease that affects different aspects of life; so we studied the quality of life of epileptic patients and compared it with general population of Tehran. We collected clinical and demographic data and studied quality of life by using the Iranian translation of Short Form 36 questionnaire version 2 (SF-36). The questionnaires were filled out by 200 patients with epilepsy referred to the Epilepsy Institute as outpatients. The mean age of our patients was 32.6 years. 54.5% were male. More than 60% of our patients had generalized tonic colonic seizures and seizure frequency was more than once a month in about 40% of them. Patients had lower scores in all subscales of SF-36, which were significantly lower than the general population. Mental health and vitality were the most affected by the disease and physical functioning was the least. Age, marital status, number of children, type of seizure and duration of disease had no effect on quality of life, but gender, edu...

Epilepsy and quality of life in Iranian epileptic patients

Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders with physical, emotional, and social consequences. Previous studies indicate that epilepsy symptoms can highly affect the epileptic patients’ satisfaction in life. The aim of the present study is to investigate the QOL of People with Epilepsy (PWE) in Khorasan Razavi province, Iran. Methods In this study, 100 patients were randomly selected. After confirmation of the diagnosis of epilepsy by neurologists and fulfilling the entrance criteria, patients completed the Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 inventory (QOLIE-31) questionnaire. Finally, data was analyzed statistically by SPSS software. Results The study sample comprised 100 PWE, aged 18–74 years (34 ± 13), of whom 58 (58%) were females. Tonic-colonic seizure was the most common (60%) type of seizure. The obtained score of each subscale and the range of the QOLIE-31 total score was 16.40–79.18 with the mean of 50 (SD = 16). The energy-fatigue subscale score was si...

Quality of Life of Epileptic Patients Compared to General Population in Tehran

2000

Epilepsy is a chronic disease that affects different aspects of life; so we studied the quality of life of epileptic patients and compared it with general population of Tehran. We collected clinical and demo- graphic data and studied quality of life by using the Iranian translation of Short Form 36 questionnaire ver- sion 2 (SF-36). The questionnaires were filled out

Assessing the psychosocial consequences of epilepsy: a community-based study

The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 1999

Few studies have measured, using validated scales, the psychosocial handicap of epilepsy in a general practice setting. To assess the prevalence of psychosocial problems associated with epilepsy. A survey was undertaken of 309 subjects, with one or more non-febrile epileptic seizures, drawn from two general practices in the United Kingdom (UK). The outcome measures were the Subjective Handicap of Epilepsy Scale (SHE), the SF-36, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD). One-third of persons with active epilepsy were significantly handicapped by their condition. The severity of subjective handicap was related to seizure frequency and to the duration of remission of seizures. Between one-third and one-half of subjects scored as 'cases' on the HAD scale and on the mental health subscale of the SF-36. Only one-third of the psychiatric morbidity revealed by the questionnaires had been recognized by the general practitioner (GP). Scores on the SF-36 indicated that peopl...

Quality of life in people with epilepsy in Sudan: An example of underserved communities in developing countries

Qatar Medical Journal, 2012

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of life (QOL) in people with epilepsy (PWE) living in Khartoum State, Northern Sudan. The region offers a model of urban and suburban communities in developing countries. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the neurology clinic of Khartoum State Hospital and Omer Ibn Alkhatab Health Center in the suburb of Khartoum State. We interviewed PWE living in the city, the suburbs and adjacent villages. Our subjects were known to have been on antiepileptic drugs (AED) for at least 6 months. The impact of epilepsy on the QOL was assessed in the clinic using a 23-item questionnaire with graded scales and checklists to explored demographic characteristics, seizure control, adverse effects of antiepileptic medication, physical harm, social and psychological impact and stigmatization. Results: Fifty-two females and 48 males between the ages of 10 and 80 years were interviewed. Sixty percent of participants were between 20 and 39 years of age. While on AED treatment, 63% developed at least one seizure at any given time, 49% in the past 6 months and 27% in the past week. Twenty six percent experienced one or more side effect of AEDs. A significant number of respondents admitted that epilepsy had a negative impact on several aspects of their daily life activities, education and social functioning. Of individuals eligible for work, 17% were unemployed or had their job terminated because of epilepsy. Relationships with spouses were affected in 20 % of cases. Fifteen percent felt stigmatized by their illness. None of the participants had received any formal health education or counseling about epilepsy. Conclusion: Epilepsy has a significant impact on several aspects of QOL, particularly physical injury and socioeconomic functioning affecting PWE living in

Social Aspects of Epilepsy in the Adult in Seven European Countries

Epilepsia, 2000

The social implications of epilepsy are ill-defined, and there are no comparative findings from different countries. A multicenter cohort study has recently been completed on the risk of morbidity and accidents. The main social issues in the study population (patients with epilepsy and control subjects) are investigated and correlated to the clinical features of the disease. Methods: Seven hundred six adult patients with idiopathic or remote symptomatic epilepsy and 662 matched controls without epilepsy were enrolled by secondary and tertiary centers in seven European countries (Italy, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, England, Portugal, and Russia). At entry, patients and controls were interviewed, and data were collected on social variables (education, current occupation, marital status, driving, involvement in sports, and insurance). The main clinical features of epilepsy (seizure types, frequency and timing, disease duration, and syndrome) were also recorded. Results: The sample included 690 men and 678 women aged 18 to 86 years. The level of education (mostly basic or high school) was slightly higher among patients with epilepsy. More Physicians and medical students are concerned mainly about the etiology, phenomenology, prognosis, and treatment of epilepsy. For patients with epilepsy and their families, however, the social implications of the disease are a primary concern (I). The impact of epilepsy on social functioning can vary widely. Some patients have few, if any, disruptions in social functioning, while others have severe problems that prevent them from enjoying fully productive lives. These aspects may depend on the patient's personal characteristics and on the social and cultural environment. Social issues for patients with epilepsy include the reflections of the disease on education, employment, driving, insurance, quality of life, and stigma, which may differ depending on the sociocultural attitudes in the

Quality of life of patients with epilepsy (Hungarian survey)

Seizure, 2001

We assessed the quality of life (QOL) of patients with epilepsy using the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31). As the first step we compared our results with the data from an American survey in order to validate the test in Hungary. The results show that the Hungarian values were lower but that they followed the same trends as the American data. There was only one controversial result in the question-group of the 'the effects of treatment', which could be explained by the differences in habits and conventions, opportunities and expectations between Hungarian and American epileptic patients. We found significant differences in many aspects of quality of life with respect to (a) gender (general quality of life, seizure worry), (b) pharmacological treatment form (cognitive functions, medication effects, total score and social and role functioning) and (c) economic activity of patients (cognitive functions, emotional well-being, energy/fatigue, medication effects, overall quality of life, overall scores, seizure worry, social and role functioning). We have tried to explain the differences found by taking either the characteristics of epilepsy or the social background of the epileptic patient into consideration. Based on previous knowledge we have tried to define the situations where the assessment of quality of life for people with epilepsy, may be beneficial to their core.