ABSTRACT

The aim of the present descriptive study was to determine the effect of patient compliance with antiepileptic drug therapy on quality of life.

The study population comprised 115 patients with epilepsy who applied to the neurology clinic of a state hospital in western Turkey between February and December 2011. Ethics committee approval and informed consent were obtained. Data were collected using a personal information form and the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-89 (QOLIE–89) in face-to-face interviews. Descriptive statistics, parametric tests, and non-parametric tests were used to evaluate data.

Mean age of the population was 36.10±14.95 years, and mean age at onset was 21.35±17.00. Males comprised 50.4% of the population, and 59.1% of patients took medication regularly. Patients received the highest scores on the subscales of language, social isolation, and physical function, and the lowest on the subscales of health perception, energy/fatigue, and seizure concerns. Total QOLIE-89 scores were found to be slightly above average, while subscale scores were generally below. There were significant differences between QOLIE-89 subscale scores and rates of regular medication use (p<0.05); subscale scores were higher, as were indications of quality of life.

Quality of life was found to be low. Patients and their relatives should be better informed of the benefits of treatment compliance on quality of life.

Keywords: Antiepileptic drugs, epilepsy, treatment compliance, quality of life