ArticleNeurological research and practice2024
A multicenter, matched case-control analysis comparing burden of illness among patients with tuberous sclerosis complex related epilepsy, generalized idiopathic epilepsy, and focal epilepsy in Germany.
Article in Neurological research and practice, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Use of cannabidiol for off-label treatment of patients with refractory focal, genetic generalised and other epilepsies.Neurological research and practice · 2025Article
- Quality of life and disease burden in tuberous sclerosis and comparison with the population with idiopathic autism spectrum disorder: an investigation conducted through questionnaires and clinical data collection in the pediatric population.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Differences between Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Patients with and without Epilepsy: The Results of a Quantitative Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study.Biomedicines · 2024Article
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21 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundDepending on the underlying etiology and epilepsy type, the burden of disease for patients with seizures can vary significantly. This analysis aimed to compare direct and indirect costs and quality of life (QoL) among adults with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) related with epilepsy, idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE), and focal epilepsy (FE) in Germany.
methodsQuestionnaire responses from 92 patients with TSC and epilepsy were matched by age and gender, with responses from 92 patients with IGE and 92 patients with FE collected in independent studies. Comparisons were made across the main QoL components, direct costs (patient visits, medication usage, medical equipment, diagnostic procedures, ancillary treatments, and transport costs), indirect costs (employment, reduced working hours, missed days), and care level costs.
resultsAcross all three cohorts, mean total direct costs (TSC: €7602 [median €2620]; IGE: €1919 [median €446], P < 0.001; FE: €2598 [median €892], P < 0.001) and mean total indirect costs due to lost productivity over 3 months (TSC: €7185 [median €11,925]; IGE: €3599 [median €0], P < 0.001; FE: €5082 [median €2981], P = 0.03) were highest among patients with TSC. The proportion of patients with TSC who were unemployed (60%) was significantly larger than the proportions of patients with IGE (23%, P < 0.001) or FE (34%, P = P < 0.001) who were unemployed. Index scores for the EuroQuol Scale with 5 dimensions and 3 levels were significantly lower for patients with TSC (time-trade-off [TTO]: 0.705, visual analog scale [VAS]: 0.577) than for patients with IGE (TTO: 0.897, VAS: 0.813; P < 0.001) or FE (TTO: 0.879, VAS: 0.769; P < 0.001). Revised Epilepsy Stigma Scale scores were also significantly higher for patients with TSC (3.97) than for patients with IGE (1.48, P < 0.001) or FE (2.45, P < 0.001). Overall Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-31 items scores was significantly lower among patients with TSC (57.7) and FE (57.6) than among patients with IGE (66.6, P = 0.004 in both comparisons). Significant differences between patients with TSC and IGE were also determined for Neurological Disorder Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (TSC: 13.1; IGE: 11.2, P = 0.009) and Liverpool Adverse Events Profile scores (TSC: 42.7; IGE: 37.5, P = 0.017) with higher score and worse results for TSC patients in both questionnaires.
conclusionsThis study is the first to compare patients with TSC, IGE, and FE in Germany and underlines the excessive QoL burden and both direct and indirect cost burdens experienced by patients with TSC.
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