[Conception of quality of life in epileptology]

In recent decades, there has been an intensive worldwide search and elaboration of new indices of assessment of patient's health state in addition to its traditional indicators such as morbidity and mortality. Development of new medical technologies and drugs, on one hand, and limited resources of health care service even in developed countries, on the other hand, led to the necessity for seeking the optimal cost-effectiveness ratio. Assessment of quality of life (QOL) is considered as one of the most important of these new indices. QOL research is highly informative, sensitive and cost-effective method of assessment of physical, psychological, emotional and social functioning of a patient with epilepsy based on his/her subjective ratings. Along with such traditional criteria as type, severity and frequency of seizures, QOL is considered as a main conception for better understanding of patient's state even under a good control of seizures. A QOL study before and during the treatment allows to obtain a multifacial information of patient's individual reaction to epilepsy, comorbid disorders and current therapy, including side-effects of antiepileptic drugs, and thus assist in the choice of right strategy of individual treatment. The growing self-consciousness of epilepsy by the patient may help the physician to get significant data on the previously not recorded QOL parameters of the patient in the routine clinical practice that may substantially improve the organization of treatment process and its final results thus increasing the patient's satisfaction.