ABSTRACT

Fatigue and its effects is not adequately researched in epilepsy. In this study the rate of fatigue and its effect on the quality of life (QOL) have been assessed.

Seventy patients (33 females, 37 males; mean age 35.63±11.95; range 18 to 60 years) who admitted to the Epilepsy Outpatient Clinc within the last year with an MMSE (mini-mental state examination) score > 24 were included in the study. QOL was assessed with quality of life in epilepsy inventory-89 (QOLIE-89) and fatigue with fatigue severity scale (FSS). Patients were divided according to whether or not they had fatigue and the QOL values of the two groups were compared. The correlation analyses were done between QOLIE-89 and fatigue severity scale.

The mental and epilepsy related subscales of QOLIE-89 were significantly lower in the fatigue group. There was a statistically significant correlation between the QOLIE-89 scores and fatigue scores in the whole group. When QOLIE-89 scores decreased, fatigue scores increased.

Our findings suggest that there is very strong relationship between the low QOL scores and fatigue in epilepsy patients. We concluded that fatigue is a very important finding in epilepsy patients. In clinical evaluation and the treatment of epilepsy, understanding the reasons and quality of fatigue is very important for the improvement of QOL in epilepsy patients.

Keywords: Epilepsy, fatigue, quality of life, psychological tests