Determinants of Health-Related Quality of Life of Epilepsy Patients in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background Epilepsy puts an enormous burden on the physical and mental health of patients and can negatively impact their Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Previous studies have identified multiple factors impacting patients' HRQoL; however, a consensus has not been reached, as these factors vary among different populations. This has not been sufficiently investigated in Saudi Arabia. Thus, this study aims to assess the HRQoL of epilepsy patients, as measured by the Quality Of Life In Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31) questionnaire, to determine the effects of demographics, disease characteristics, and antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on patients in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods This was a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study of adult epilepsy patients receiving AEDs who followed up at the epilepsy clinic at King Abdulaziz University Hospital between April 2018 and June 2018. Recruited individuals participated by phone interview. Results A total of 200 participants fulfilled our inclusion criteria and consented to participate; 57.4% were males. The average age was 32.8 years. The total average score on the QOLIE-31 was 61.56 (±17.52). QOLIE-31 scores correlated inversely with seizure frequency (p