Quality of Life among Middle and Secondary School Children with Epilepsy

Objectives  Epilepsy is a leading cause of disability in school-going children. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of epilepsy in middle and secondary school children and to assess their quality of life (QOL). Materials and Methods  This was a cross-sectional study done in schools under the municipal corporation area of Latur Taluka, Maharashtra. At school, children were screened for epilepsy and the positive children were visited at home. Children with confirmed epilepsy were used to calculate prevalence. The QOL of children diagnosed to have epilepsy was assessed using Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE-55) version 1.0. Statistical Analysis  Mean scores in scales and subscales of QOLCE-55 were calculated. Association between variables was analyzed using unpaired/independent t -test and analysis of variance. Statistically significance was fixed for a p -value less than 0.05. Results  Prevalence of epilepsy in middle and secondary school children was found to be 3.20 per 1000. In QOLCE-55, physical functioning was the most compromised, with the lowest mean QOL score (mean = 58.3, standard deviation = 20.66). Present age of the child, age at the first seizure episode, and time interval since last seizure had a statistically significant relation with QOL. The treatment gap was found to be 70.4%. Conclusions  Assessment of QOL in children with epilepsy is important for effective and comprehensive management of epilepsy.