Abstracts

Rationale: Fatigue may account for a significant portion of the effect on patient quality of life in those with epilepsy. However the causes of fatigue in patients with epilepsy have not yet been clearly delineated.Methods: A preliminary study assessed fatigue in 56 adult outpatients with normal intelligence at the London Health Sciences Centre Epilepsy Clinic. Patients completed the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Serum was taken for CBC, electrolytes, TSH and drug levels. Further clinical information was extracted from patient charts. Univariate (ANOVA) analysis was performed between fatigue severity scale scores (≥4 out of 7 = severe fatigue) and a number of clinical variables. Multivariate analysis was also used to assess significant correlations between variables.Results: Severe fatigue was found in 28 patients (50%). Analysis showed a significant correlation between fatigue and depression (r=0.58, p<0.01). Fatigue was more likely to occur in generalized epilepsy (r=0.31, p<0.05). There was no significant correlation between fatigue and either TSH levels or number of antiepileptic medications. There was a trend towards increased fatigue in females.Conclusions: Symptoms of fatigue should be assessed in all patients with epilepsy. Patients reporting fatigue should be investigated for depressive symptoms.