Evaluation of Relationship Between Quality of Life and Event Related Potentials in Epileptic Patients

Scientific background: The assessment and understanding of the impact of epiliepsy on an individual's quality of life is increasingly being recognized as an important component of clinical care. Cognitive and behavioral deficits are more common in patients with epilepsy than in the general population. Consequently, it is important to understanding the relationship between quality of life and cognitive functions in the clinical evaluation of epileptic patients. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the relationship between quality of life and cognitive functions of our epileptic patients. Material and methods: Sixty-three epilepsy patients were evaluated. They were over 18 years of age, seizure free with antiepileptic medication and had mini mental state examination scores > 24. Quality of life was assessed with QOLIE-89 and cognitive functions were evaluated with P300. The relationship between QOLIE-89 score, and latancies and amplitude of P300 were analyzed. Results: No correlation was found between QOLIE-89 scores and P300 values. Conclusion: We did not find any correlation between quality of life and P300 in epileptic patients whose seizures were under control with medication, which means that the cognitive conditions of these patients do not effect their quality of life. The relationship between quality of life and cognitive functions must be studied in more specific epilepsy patient groups according to type of seizures, resistance to medication, and effects of monothrapy and polytherapy. These kinds of studies may lead to a greater contribution to the management of epileptic patients.