ABSTRACT

We aimed to investigate the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak on the quality of life (QOL) of patients with epilepsy.

A total of 104 epilepsy patients admitted to our hospital during October and November of 2019 were evaluated for their QOL using the QOL in Epilepsy-31 questionnaire. These assessments were repeated in July 2020 and August 2020 to evaluate the impact of the epidemic on the QOL of epilepsy patients in the same group. The data of the patients were analyzed in SPSS.

During the pandemic period, overall score values decreased significantly compared to the pre-pandemic period (p=0.049). Although most of the subscores worsened with the pandemic, the most significant deterioration was observed in emotional well-being (p=0.021). There were six patients (5.8%) whose seizure frequency increased during the pandemic period. In the multivariate analysis, the only parameter that predicted an increase in seizure frequency during COVID-19 was the overall score. Overall score had a positive correlation with educational level. Disease duration, age, marital status, and number of drugs used were found to be negatively correlated with the overall score of the patients.

The COVID-19 epidemic causes a significant deterioration in QOL in patients with epilepsy. During epidemics such as COVID-19, clinicians should consider psychosocial factors. In patients with epilepsy, measures should be taken not only to control seizures but also to prevent deterioration in mental health and QOL.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019, epilepsy, quality of life