Affiliations: UCL – Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
Note: [] Corresponding author: Dr. Caroline Selai, Institute of
Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK. Tel.: +44 171 8373611, ext.
4272; Fax: +44 171 2788772; E-mail: c.selai@ion.ucl.ac.uk
Abstract: The impact of epilepsy on Quality of Life (QoL) is well-documented.
The ability of epileptic seizures to alter the conscious states of patients is
also well established. Although there is much research on the QoL of people
with epilepsy, few researchers have looked specifically at the effect of
sudden, unanticipated alterations of consciousness on QoL. This lack of
systematic studies of consciousness alterations and QoL in epilepsy limits our
ability to shed light on this interrelation. In this article, with these
limitations in mind, we focus on studies of newer AEDs. We review the evidence
as to whether a significant reduction (typically more than 50%) in seizures
that induce alterations of consciousness, as a result of switching to one of
the newer AEDs, leads to improvements in QoL. We draw on this literature to
speculate on the relationship between ictal consciousness alterations and poor
QoL in epilepsy, to identify contributory and confounding factors and to
highlight implications for future research. We suggest that an understanding of
how factors associated with consciousness impairment affect QoL could help the
treatment and management of these patients.
Keywords: Quality of life, consciousness, seizures, epilepsy, AEDs
