UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Health-related quality of life and the burden of prolonged seizures in noninstitutionalized children with epilepsy

Kirkham, FJ; Vigevano, F; Raspall-Chaure, M; Wilken, B; Lee, D; Le Reun, C; Werner-Kiechle, T; (2020) Health-related quality of life and the burden of prolonged seizures in noninstitutionalized children with epilepsy. Epilepsy and Behavior , 102 , Article 106340. 10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.04.058. Green open access

[thumbnail of 1-s2.0-S1525505019300186-main.pdf]
Preview
Text
1-s2.0-S1525505019300186-main.pdf - Published Version

Download (603kB) | Preview

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to provide information on the burden of illness and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with epilepsy who experience prolonged acute convulsive seizures (PACS) in the community setting, and to investigate factors that may predict poor HRQoL in this population. METHODS: Noninstitutionalized children (aged 3–16 years) who had experienced at least one PACS within the past year and had currently prescribed PACS rescue medication were enrolled in a cross-sectional study in Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom (Practices in Emergency and Rescue medication For Epilepsy managed with Community-administered Therapy 3 [PERFECT-3]). Clinicians, parents/guardians, and patients completed web-based questionnaires regarding clinical characteristics, PACS frequency, and day-to-day impairment. Patients' HRQoL was rated by clinicians, parents/guardians, and patients themselves using the 5-dimension EuroQol questionnaire (EQ-5D) and summarized as a utility score. Potential predictors of poor HRQoL were tested in individual univariate generalized linear models and a global multivariable model. RESULTS: Enrolled children (N = 286) had experienced 1–400 PACS (median: 4) in the past year. Clinicians reported that 216/281 patients (76.9%) had learning disabilities of varying severity. Mean EQ-5D utility scores rated by clinicians (n = 279), parents (n = 277), and patients (n = 85) were 0.52 (standard deviation: 0.41), 0.51 (0.39), and 0.74 (0.29), respectively. Increasing PACS frequency, increasing severity of learning disability, and specialist school attendance were significantly associated with decreasing EQ-5D utility score. In the multivariable model, having learning disabilities was the best predictor of poor HRQoL. SIGNIFICANCE: Health-related quality of life was very poor in many children with epilepsy whose PACS were managed with rescue medication in the community, with learning disability being the most powerful predictor of patients' HRQoL. Mean EQ-5D utility scores were lower (worse) than published values for many other chronic disorders, indicating that optimal treatment should involve helping children and their families to manage learning disabilities and day-to-day impairments, in addition to preventing seizures.

Type: Article
Title: Health-related quality of life and the burden of prolonged seizures in noninstitutionalized children with epilepsy
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.04.058
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.04.058
Language: English
Additional information: © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Keywords: Epilepsy, Prolonged acute convulsive seizures, Rescue medication, Health-related quality of life
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Developmental Neurosciences Dept
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10086577
Downloads since deposit
90Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item