Analysis of adult patients with epilepsy in the age continuum

Abstract

Objective: to study the presence of comorbidities and to investigate quality of life in patients with main types of epilepsy in relation to age. Patients and methods. The investigation enrolled 150 patients aged 17 to 64 years with idiopathic, cryptogenic, and symptomatic types of epilepsy. The investigators studied the presence of sleep disorders using the questionnaires designed by the Somnology Center, Ministry of Health of Russia, and that of daytime sleepiness by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, determined the level of anxiety and depression by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and assessed the severity of seizures by the National Hospital Seizure Severity Scale. Quality of life was investigated using the QOLIE-89 questionnaire. A cluster analysis was carried out to divide all the patients into three age groups (mean age, 27.3; 30.7; and 37.7 years. Results and discussion. A positive relationship was obtained between some indicators of sleep disorders, level of anxiety, and age. There were significant differences between the above three age groups in the following indicators: sleep disorders; daytime sleepiness; level of anxiety, severity of seizures, and scores of the QOLIE-89 questionnaire (p<0.001). Since the patients suffer from different basic types of epilepsy (cryptogenic, idiopathic, and symptomatic), the findings testify to age as an independent factor that modifies quality of life in epileptic patients.