Abstracts

Rationale: For many people with epilepsy (PWE) there are a number of comorbid conditions that substantially affect their health-related quality of life (QOL), including cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety, suicidality, psychosis, and migraine. The growing body of evidence suggests that moderate physical activity and fitness improve cognitive performance and relieve psychiatric symptoms. However, PWE have often been advised against participating in sports and exercise, mostly because of fear, overprotection, and ignorance about the benefit and risk associated with such activities. The overall goal of this survey was to assess the impact of physical activity level on health-related QOL in patients with epilepsy.  Methods: This was a prospective observational study, in which a total of 200 patients over a 12-month period completed standard surveys while admitted to our level-4 epilepsy monitoring units (EMU). The survey included either the English or Spanish version of Quality of life in epilepsy (QOLIE-31), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA) questionnaire. Clinical information including age, gender, social history, seizure history, medication/treatment history, and other information relevant to their seizure disorder was extracted from the electronic chart.  Results: Of the 200 patients who completed the questionnaires, 113 had a diagnosis of epilepsy. Of these, 84 had a sedentary level of physical activity (RAPA <6), and 14 had an active level of physical activity (RAPA = 6). 15 patients were excluded because of inadequate survey completion. There were no-significant differences in terms of age of seizure onset, numbers of anti-seizure medications, GAD-7, PHQ-9, or BDI-II between groups. The mean RAPA score was 2.95 (± 1.36) in the sedentary group and 6.43 (± 0.51) in the active group. The QOL score was slightly higher in the active group compared to the sedentary group (63.68 ± 15.73 vs 53.45 ± 18.02, p = 0.074). Multiple linear regression analysis suggested GAD-7 scores and BDI-II scores explained 40% and 43% variance respectively in regards to QOL scores. RAPA scores explained an additional 15% variance of QOL scores after adjustment for age of seizure onset, seizure frequency, GAD-7, and BDI-II. Conclusions: The majority of PWE (86%) in this survey reported sedentary life styles. The active life style (RAPA score = 6) was associated with higher QOL in PWE. Thus, promoting active life style with regular moderate aerobic exercise might improve QOL in PWE. Funding: Not applicable