Knowledge of epilepsy, quality of life, and psychiatric comorbidities in Lebanese adults with epilepsy

Introduction: People with epilepsy (PWE) face a variety of psychosocial challenges. A lack of knowledge of epilepsy, a high level of depression and anxiety and a low quality of life (QoL) are among the major problems that affect most PWE. The objective of this study was to examine the association of sociodemographic characteristics, clinical factors and knowledge of epilepsy with the level of QoL, and the presence of psychiatric comorbidities. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Lebanon. The PWE were recruited from neurologists’ clinics in Beirut and its suburbs. A questionnaire translated into Arabic was used and composed of four parts: sociodemographic factors, clinical characteristics, psychosocial characteristics (QoL, psychiatric disorders), and knowledge epilepsy scale. Backward logistic regression models were developed, the associations were estimated by odds ratio (OR), and the level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: Four hundred and four PWE were recruited in this study. About a half of PWE had controlled epilepsy (46.3 %) and 40.3 % had epilepsy for less than 5 years. The QoL was low for 38.6 % of PWE and 30.2 % had psychiatric comorbidities. More than half of PWE had a good level of knowledge (71.5 %). Controlled epilepsy (OR = 1.8; 95 %CI: 1.2–2.9), and good knowledge about epilepsy (OR = 5.5; 95 %CI: 3.4–9.1) were associated with better QoL. Patients on polytherapy with anti-seizure drugs (OR = 0.6; 95 %CI: 0.4–0.9), experienced side effects of anti-seizure drugs (OR = 0.6; 95 %CI: 0.4–0.9) and with psychiatric comorbidities (OR = 0.6; 95 %CI: 0.3–0.9) had a lower QoL. A high number of nonpsychiatric comorbidities (OR = 2.5; 95 %CI: 2.0–3.1) and a polytherapy increased the risk of having psychiatric comorbidities (OR = 1.8; 95 %CI: 1.1–2.8). Conclusions: Good knowledge of epilepsy and the absence of psychiatric comorbidities are important predictors of good QoL in Lebanese PWE. Educational programs are needed to reduce misconceptions about epilepsy and improve mental health of PWE.