Gender aspects of localization-related and generalized epilepsy

Abstract

Aim. To study gender and age aspects of epilepsy in patients with localization-related and generalized forms of epilepsy in the village of Mashtaga, Baku city.Material and methods. The gender structure of epilepsy in the village study was conducted simultaneously with a cohort pro- and retrospective research of its epidemiology at the United City Hospital (OGB) No. 7 in the village of Mashtaga and at the Department of Neurology of the Educational and Therapeutic Corps of AMU during the period from 2016 till 2019. Psychoemotional state (Ziqmond scale), severity of seizures (NHS3 scale), quality of life (QOLIE-10 questionnaire) were studied. For statistical processing, Fisher LSD and Pearson’s rank correlation coefficient were used at the level of significant results — p < 0.05.Results and discussion. Among 197 patients with epilepsy, 121 (61.4%) men and 76 (38.6%) women were examined. Most of them were accounted for localization-related epilepsy — 129 people (65.4%). 68 patients (33.5%) suffered from generalized epilepsy. The indigenous (37,505 people) and nonindigenous (8295 people) population were represented mainly by Azerbaijanis. The number of male patients with SPE exceeded the number of females (χ2 = 8.515; p = 0.004), (p < 0.05). There were more male patients with HE (41 (60.3%)) than females (27 (39.7%)). The severity of seizures, evaluated with the use of the NHS3 scale, was higher in male patients than in females. The psychoemotional state according to the Ziqmond scale in female patients from non-indigenous inhabitants was lower (9.05 ± 0.30; m = 6, M = 13) than in those of indigenous (8.83 ± 0.21; m = 5, M = 12), (p = 0.046). Assessment of the quality of life of patients with epilepsy according to QOLIE-10, did not reveal any gender diff erence.Conclusions. A gender-specific approach to the condition of patients with epilepsy will contribute to the improvement of both, clinical and psychoemotional parameters, thereby having a positive effect on the quality of life.