Convulsive status epilepticus and health-related quality of life in children with epilepsy

Mark A Ferro; Richard F M Chin; Carol S Camfield; Samuel Wiebe; Simon D Levin; Kathy N Speechley

doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000000710

Convulsive status epilepticus and health-related quality of life in children with epilepsy

Neurology. 2014 Aug 19;83(8):752-7. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000000710. Epub 2014 Jul 18.

Authors

Mark A Ferro¹, Richard F M Chin², Carol S Camfield², Samuel Wiebe², Simon D Levin², Kathy N Speechley²

Affiliations

¹ From the Departments of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences (M.A.F.) and Pediatrics (M.A.F.), Offord Centre for Child Studies (M.A.F.), and CanChild Centre for Child Disability Research (M.A.F.), McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; Muir Maxwell Epilepsy Centre (R.F.M.C.), The University of Edinburgh; Paediatric Neurosciences (R.F.M.C.), Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Edinburgh), UK; Child Neurology (C.S.C.), IWK Health Centre, Department of Paediatrics, Dalhousie University, Halifax; Department of Clinical Neuroscience (S.W.), University of Calgary; Departments of Paediatrics (S.D.L., K.N.S.) and Epidemiology & Biostatistics (K.N.S.), Western University, London, ON; and Children's Health Research Institute (S.D.L., K.N.S.), Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada. ferroma@mcmaster.ca.
² From the Departments of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences (M.A.F.) and Pediatrics (M.A.F.), Offord Centre for Child Studies (M.A.F.), and CanChild Centre for Child Disability Research (M.A.F.), McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; Muir Maxwell Epilepsy Centre (R.F.M.C.), The University of Edinburgh; Paediatric Neurosciences (R.F.M.C.), Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Edinburgh), UK; Child Neurology (C.S.C.), IWK Health Centre, Department of Paediatrics, Dalhousie University, Halifax; Department of Clinical Neuroscience (S.W.), University of Calgary; Departments of Paediatrics (S.D.L., K.N.S.) and Epidemiology & Biostatistics (K.N.S.), Western University, London, ON; and Children's Health Research Institute (S.D.L., K.N.S.), Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada.

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the association between convulsive status epilepticus (CSE) and health-related quality of life (HRQL) during a 24-month follow-up in a multisite incident cohort of children with epilepsy.

Methods: Data were collected in the Health-Related Quality of Life Study in Children with Epilepsy Study from 374 families of children with newly diagnosed epilepsy. The Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy (QOLCE) Questionnaire was used to evaluate parent-reported child HRQL. Hierarchical linear regression was used to examine the relationship between CSE and HRQL at 24 months postepilepsy. A total of 359 families completed the 24-month assessment.

Results: Twenty-two children (6.1%) had experienced CSE during the follow-up. Children with and without CSE were similar, except a larger proportion of children with CSE had partial seizures (p < 0.001). Controlling for clinical, demographic, and family characteristics, CSE was significantly associated with poorer HRQL (β = -4.65, p = 0.031). The final model explained 47% of the variance in QOLCE scores.

Conclusions: The findings suggested that not only do children with CSE have significantly poorer HRQL compared with their non-CSE counterparts, but that this factor is independent of the effects of demographic and clinical features known to affect HRQL.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Health Status
Humans
Male
Quality of Life*
Risk Factors
Seizures / physiopathology*
Status Epilepticus / physiopathology*
Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

MOP-64311/Canadian Institutes of Health Research/Canada