Interictal fatigue and its predictors in epilepsy patients: A case-control study

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Psychiatry
• Quality of Life Research

Background:

• Fatigue significantly impacts the quality of life (QOL) for individuals with epilepsy.
• Limited research exists on fatigue in epilepsy, with no prior systematic analysis of its predictors.
• Understanding fatigue's extent and contributing factors is crucial for improving patient QOL.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence and severity of fatigue in adult epilepsy patients.
• To identify key predictors of fatigue among individuals with epilepsy.
• To compare fatigue levels between epilepsy subgroups and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• 270 adult epilepsy patients (uncontrolled, well-controlled, poorly controlled) and 200 healthy controls were enrolled.
• Participants completed validated questionnaires including the Fatigue Severity Scale (K-FSS), depression (K-NDDI-E), anxiety (K-GAD-7), and sleep measures (PROMIS-SRI, PROMIS-SD).
• Statistical analyses included group comparisons and stepwise multiple regression to identify fatigue predictors.

Main Results:

• Epilepsy patients reported higher scores for fatigue (K-FSS), depression (K-NDDI-E), and anxiety (K-GAD-7) compared to controls.
• Patients with uncontrolled epilepsy (UCE) showed significantly higher K-FSS scores than controls.
• Fatigue Severity Scale scores in epilepsy patients were significantly predicted by sleep-related impairments (PROMIS-SRI) and depression (K-NDDI-E).

Conclusions:

• Epilepsy is associated with increased fatigue severity compared to healthy individuals, especially when seizures are uncontrolled.
• Sleep-related impairments and depressive symptoms are significant aggravating factors for fatigue in epilepsy patients.
• Addressing sleep disturbances and depression is vital for managing fatigue and improving QOL in epilepsy.