RESUMO
Background Epilepsy puts an enormous burden on the physical and mental health of patients and can negatively impact their Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Previous studies have identified multiple factors impacting patients' HRQoL; however, a consensus has not been reached, as these factors vary among different populations. This has not been sufficiently investigated in Saudi Arabia. Thus, this study aims to assess the HRQoL of epilepsy patients, as measured by the Quality Of Life In Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31) questionnaire, to determine the effects of demographics, disease characteristics, and antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on patients in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods This was a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study of adult epilepsy patients receiving AEDs who followed up at the epilepsy clinic at King Abdulaziz University Hospital between April 2018 and June 2018. Recruited individuals participated by phone interview. Results A total of 200 participants fulfilled our inclusion criteria and consented to participate; 57.4% were males. The average age was 32.8 years. The total average score on the QOLIE-31 was 61.56 (±17.52). QOLIE-31 scores correlated inversely with seizure frequency (p<.000) while the class of medication used, and the number of drugs administered did not correlate with HRQoL. Conclusion Whereas previous work has suggested a better quality of life when using newer generation AEDs, our study found no significant difference between the class of medication and whether monotherapy or polytherapy is used. Our findings suggest that efforts to improve HRQoL should be directed toward proper control of seizures regardless of medication class, as the frequency of attacks has the most detrimental effect on patients' quality of life.
RESUMO
Background Tympanostomy ventilation tube (VT) insertion is one of the most common procedures performed in otorhinolaryngology. VTs have been proven to effectively manage otitis media (OM) with effusion (OME) and to improve the quality of life of children postoperatively. Although there are multiple types of VT shapes, materials, and sizes, few studies have investigated and compared the effects of titanium VT with those of VTs made of other materials. This study aimed to compare titanium VTs and the more commonly used fluoroplastic VTs in a retrospective, age-matched, case-control study. We studied the postoperative outcomes and rates of extrusion, infection, otorrhea, tube obstruction, and residual perforation. Methodology Medical records of patients who underwent myringotomy with VT insertion from January 2018 to December 2020 were reviewed. A total of 34 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 17 had undergone titanium VT insertion bilaterally (titanium group) and 17 had undergone fluoroplastic VT insertion bilaterally (control group). Both groups were followed up with regular postoperative examinations for 18 months. Results Postoperative complications were categorized as early and late complications. The most common early postoperative complication was early extrusion of VT (six months or less after insertion) (67.6%); this was documented most often in the titanium group. Other early postoperative complications included transient otorrhea (14.7%), tube blockage (8.8%), and recurrent acute otitis media (AOM) (occurring within one month from completion of therapy of AOM episode) (5.9%); these rates were similar in both groups. Late complications were not significantly variable between groups. Tympanic membrane retraction was the most common late complication (8.8%). Conclusions VT insertion is associated with the risk of complications with varying degrees. Although factors affecting the VT complication rates are multiple and various, these rates were not different between groups in this study. However, further studies including larger population samples are needed to statistically confirm these results and their generalizability.
