Quality of Life in Epilepsy - Before and After Intervention

Headnote

ABSTRACT

Back ground: The age adjusted incidence is between 20 and 70 per 1,00,000 and a prevalence of 4 to 10 per 1000 (Bharucha et al 2003). It is estimated to affect 50 million world wide. Its repercussions are seen in social, financial, family aspects of the patients.

AIM: To study the quality of life of epileptic patients before and after intervention.

Methodology: 15 Epileptic patients were kept in the treatment group and 15 epileptic patients were kept in the control group. The treatment group was given the cognitive remediation task, and Quolie 31 was given before and after the programme. The control group was not given any intervention and Quolie 31 was given before and after an interval of 30 days.

Results: The quality of life had improved in all aspects in the treatment group .

Conclusion: The quality of life of epileptic patients had improved after the intervention.

Key words: Quality of life, Cognitive remediation, Epilepsy, Social functioning.

INTRODUCTION

Epilepsy in a neurological disease affecting 50 million people world wide. The prevalence rate is 5.59/1000, (Bharucha 2003 in India). And the incidence rate is 49.3/100000 (Mani et al 1998 in India).

Epilepsy or seizure can be defined as occasional, sudden, excessive rapid and local discharges of grey matter (Jackson 1873). It is a complex disorder characterized by intermittent paroxysmal, stereotyped, excessive and disorderly discharges usually detected by electroencephalographic recordings. The clinical manifestation of epilepsy is syncope, drying of mouth, nausea, blurring of vision, loss of consciousness and many more.

The association between cognitive deficits has been given much importance s because it hampers the patient's all round development and functioning in many areas like Occupation, inter-personal relations etc.

Attention deficits can hamper other cognitive deficits such as short term memory information processing, executive functioning. Memory deficits was more pronounced when patients attempted to learn verbal material to non verbal material (Quadfasel and Pruyser, 1955).

Slowness in thinking, poor abstraction ability, calculation disability and other deficits affect the functioning of the person. Executive function will also be impaired in a person who is distractible, has impairment of memory and, perceptual skills. The hampering of executive functioning, hamper the day to day activities of the person, thus impairing his personal and socio occupational...