Health related quality of life of people living with epilepsy in a Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Northern Nigeria

Background: Epilepsy is a chronic devastating disorder that affects patients' quality of life irrespective of whether anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) are being used.

Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess the health related quality of life of people living with epilepsy and its determinants in a Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Nigeria.

Methods: The cross sectional study involved 182 patients living with epilepsy that are on therapy with AEDs, sampled conveniently and interviewed between March-June 2015. Health Related Quality Of Life (HRQOL) was the primary outcome using items from Quality of Life In Epilepsy inventory (QOLIE-31). The data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 19.0). A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Out of 182 patients, who participated in the study, 53.9% were male and 46.1% were female. The average age was 27.6±8.5 years. The overall HRQOL mean QOLIE-31 score of 57.46±14 was low relative to the expected normal value of 60.00±0.0 for people living with epilepsy. The three sub-scales considered normal with scores higher than 60.0 include cognitive functioning (65.67±21.85), social functioning (63.13±23.23) and medication effects (72.4±22.3). The most severely affected domain with sub-optimal scores was physical functioning (36.62±33.02) followed by seizures worry (50.19±20.10) and emotional well-being of 54.77±21.67. Being male was significantly associated with poor overall HRQOL (p-value = 0.021).

Conclusion: The HRQOL of the studied population being managed at the hospital is poor relative to group norm for people living with epilepsy. The most severely affected domain was physical functioning followed by seizures worry. It is important to strengthen the socioeconomic and psychological support in addition to optimal medication utilization to enhance HRQOL of the patients receiving AEDs.