Quality of life in Epilepsy: a comparison between pediatric and adult onset

Epilepsy can affect people at any age and is known to impact quality of life (QOL). However, variations in QOL across age groups have not been investigated. The purpose of this study is to investigate the contrast between pediatric-onset and adult-onset epilepsy. The Mayo Clinic Arizona database of 568 epilepsy patients admitted to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit who underwent neuropsychological testing from 2008 to 2019 was queried. Those diagnosed with epilepsy before age 25 were considered pediatric onset (n = 206), while those after 25 were considered adult onset (n = 125). Administered as part of the neuropsychological testing, the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31) was reviewed. The average age of disease onset for the pediatric group was 13 years old and adult-onset group 48. Overall QOLIE scores were not found to be statistically significantly different (mean t score 42.8 pediatric vs 45.2 adult, p = 0.058). However, three of the seven QOLIE-31 subscores were found to be statistically significantly worsened in the pediatric population- social function (T score mean 42.4 vs 45.1, p = 0.030), emotional well-being (T score mean 46.7 vs 50.0, p = 0.008), and seizure worry (T score mean 44.0 vs 46.7, p = 0.035). This study indicates that while our pediatric epilepsy patients' overall QOL was not found to be statistically significantly different, there are specific areas of concern unique to younger patient populations including social functioning, emotional well-being and worries surrounding their seizures. These differences must be considered when creating a treatment plan and providing support to this group of patients.