Department of Medicine, University Hospital of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.
Epilepsy Behav. 2011 May;21(1):23-6. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2011.02.019. Epub 2011 Apr 1.
Quality of life in epilepsy has not been documented in the English-speaking Caribbean. The aim of this study was to explore the quality of life of persons with epilepsy (PWE) living in Jamaica and determine the impact of socioeconomic factors by examining two socially distinct groups in semiprivate (Epilepsy Centre of Jamaica) and public (Kingston Public Hospital) outpatient clinics. One hundred nine consecutive patients were interviewed. Quality of life was assessed using the Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 inventory (QOLIE-31). Both groups were matched for gender, epilepsy syndrome, epilepsy duration, and number of antiepileptic drugs. Predictors of quality of life included number of antiepileptic drugs (P=0.039), epilepsy duration (P<0.05), and functional status (P<0.001). Neither seizure frequency nor socioeconomic status predicted QOLIE-31 scores. Mean QOLIE-31 total score (61.57 vs 49.2, P<0.001) and QOLIE-31 subscale scores (with the exception of the Seizure Worry score [53.8 vs 48.2, P=0.08]) were significantly higher than the corresponding t scores. The QOLIE-31 can reliably be used in Jamaica. Our findings suggest Jamaicans living with epilepsy perceive themselves as having a better than expected quality of life.
在英语加勒比地区，尚未记录癫痫患者的生活质量。本研究旨在探讨生活在牙买加的癫痫患者（PWE）的生活质量，并通过检查两个社会差异群体（牙买加癫痫中心的半私人诊所和金斯敦公立医院的门诊）来确定社会经济因素的影响。对 109 例连续患者进行了访谈。使用癫痫生活质量问卷-31 项（QOLIE-31）评估生活质量。两组在性别、癫痫综合征、癫痫持续时间和抗癫痫药物数量方面相匹配。生活质量的预测因素包括抗癫痫药物的数量（P=0.039）、癫痫持续时间（P<0.05）和功能状态（P<0.001）。癫痫发作频率和社会经济地位均不能预测 QOLIE-31 评分。平均 QOLIE-31 总分（61.57 与 49.2，P<0.001）和 QOLIE-31 子量表评分（除癫痫担忧评分[53.8 与 48.2，P=0.08]外）均显著高于相应的 t 分数。QOLIE-31 可以在牙买加可靠地使用。我们的研究结果表明，生活在牙买加的癫痫患者认为自己的生活质量好于预期。
