Histopathological diagnosis, age at surgery, and duration of epilepsy are important prognostic factors for outcomes of epilepsy surgery. In every patient with refractory focal epilepsy presumed to be lesional, evaluation for surgery should be considered.
Young adults with epilepsy are particularly susceptible to behavioral health and neurodevelopmental disorders 1).
Most patients respond to conventional antiepileptic drugs, however, around 30% will continue to experience seizures despite multiple antiepileptic drugs.
One-third of patients will continue to have uncontrolled seizures. Epilepsy can substantially impair quality of life owing to seizures, comorbid mood and psychiatric disorders, cognitive deficits and adverse effects of medications. In addition, seizures can be fatal owing to direct effects on autonomic and arousal functions or owing to indirect effects such as drowning and other accidents.
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological condition that affects the quality of life (QoL) of patients and their families. In a study, Conde-Guzón et al. compared two sets of reports on QoL that were completed by two samples of parents whose children have epilepsy.
Parents of children with various types of epilepsy from Spain (N = 196) and France (N = 219) completed the same QoL questionnaire. Medical variables were recorded from the referred specialist doctor for each patient.
The factors associated with parental reports on QoL were similar in both countries. Parents of children with nonidiopathic generalized or unclassified epilepsy reported poorer QoL and the highest proportion of learning and behavioral problems. However, the intensity of difficulties varied between the two samples.
This questionnaire made it possible to detect comorbidities and daily life difficulties in children with epilepsy and their families. The type of epilepsy had the same influence on Spanish and French families' ratings of QoL. Families shared the same comorbidities in terms of hyperactivity/attention/sociability problems. Nevertheless, the intensity of reported difficulties varied in both countries, possibly because of differences in cultural and educational environments. This aspect should be further explored in future research 2).