Abstracts

RATIONALE: After reviewing the abstract the audience should be able to discuss the differences in HRQOL between the patients with PNES and patients with epilepsy and general population.
Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) and epilepsy affect HRQOL through limiting the ability to drive and continue employment/education, medication adverse effects, depression, and impaired social/physical functioning. Although several studies evaluated the differences in HRQOL between healthy general population and epilepsy cohorts, studies comparing HRQOL between healthy and PNES subjects are lacking.
METHODS: Patients admitted to an inpatient EMU between 1/20/01 and 3/31/02 were prospectively evaluated. Patients completed epilepsy-specific QOL instrument (QOLIE-89). SF-36 data were extracted from QOLIE-89 for patients with definite PNES (n=53) and definite epilepsy (n=53). Population norms were derived from Ware et al., 1993. Data were analyzed using one-sample and independent samples difference-of-means tests (t-tests).
RESULTS: See the table below: Comparison of average SF-36 scores in the general population, epilepsy patients, and patients with PNES ([a]one-sample t-test, n = 106; [b]independent samples t-test, n = 106). HRQOL is 17.3-65.4 points lower in patients with PNES compared to the general population (P[lt]0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with PNES have lower HRQOL than both the general population and epilepsy patients. Reasons for the low HRQOL in PNES need to be further investigated.[table1]