Health-Related Quality of Life and its Determinants in Adult Nigerians with Epileptic Seizures

Background: Despite epilepsy being the commonest neurological disorder in Africa, there are extremely few studies on its impact on patients' quality of life especially in sub-Saharan Africa. There is as yet no data on this for the South East region of Nigeria. Aim: This cross-sectional descriptive study evaluated the health related quality of life of a cohort of Nigerian patients with epilepsy and determined factors that impact on it. Methods: Consecutive epilepsy patients aged =16 years attending the neurology out-patient clinic of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, and who had no progressive neurological or psychiatric condition were recruited over a 6-month period (October 2013 – March 2014). Informed consent as well as sociodemographic data was obtained and each patient completed the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). Results: A total of 66 patients (40 males and 26 females) aged 16-75 years (mean 32.12 ± 14.00) were studied. All were Christians and had a minimum of primary school education. Most had generalized seizures, had been epileptic for less than a decade and lived in urban areas. The quality of life scores were reduced across the four domains. Good seizure control was significantly associated with a higher quality of life. Psychological wellbeing had a positive correlation with education level but correlated negatively with duration of epilepsy. Conclusion: Adult Nigerian patients with epilepsy have significant quality of life issues. Greater emphasis on holistic patient evaluation is imperative. Larger multicentre studies are required for more elucidation of the scope of impairment in quality of life.