Quality of life in patients with epilepsy

Abstract

Epilepsy is a kind of familiar disease. Today, in our country, there are about 6 millions patients with epilepsy. Although the majority of patients' seizures are under control or reduced by the medicine treatment 20% still keep seizure. At the same time, the drugs can lead to damage in a certain degree to the mind and body of patients. And they need take the antiepileptic drugs for a long term. So the quality of life is highly important for the patients who have had no seizures after taking antiepileptic, too. In the past, doctors focused on the control of the seizure, but neglected the feelings of patients. For some epileptics, the seizures can be controlled by taking two or more kinds of antiepileptic, or using a high dose single drug. But the patients are unable to go to school or work because of the side effect of the drugs. At the same time, some social prejudices to the disease result in the obvious mental disorder of the patients. Sometimes, the damages caused by the drugs are more serious and constant than that by the seizures.