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Epilepsy
in low-grade gliomas: the impact on cognitive function and quality of
life
Klein
M, Engelberts NH, van der Ploeg HM, Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenite DG,
Aaronson NK, Taphoorn MJ, Baaijen H, Vandertop WP, Muller M, Postma
TJ, Heimans JJ
Department of Medical Psychology, VU University Medical Center,
Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m.klein.psychol@med.vu.nl
Low-grade gliomas frequently are associated with epilepsy.
The
purpose of this study is to determine the impact of epilepsy and
antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment on cognitive functioning and
health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in these patients.
One
hundred fifty-six patients without clinical or radiological signs of
tumor recurrence for at least 1 year after histological diagnosis and
with an epilepsy burden (based on seizure frequency and AED use)
ranging from none to severe were compared with healthy controls.
The
association between epilepsy burden and cognition/HRQOL was also
investigated.
Eighty-six
percent of the patients had epilepsy and 50% of those using AEDs
actually were seizure-free.
Compared
with healthy controls, glioma patients had significant reductions in
information processing speed, psychomotor function, attentional
functioning, verbal and working memory, executive functioning, and
HRQOL.
The
increase in epilepsy burden that was associated with significant
reductions in all cognitive domains except for attentional and memory
functioning could primarily be attributed to the use of AEDs, whereas
the decline in HRQOL could be ascribed to the lack of complete seizure
control.
In
conclusion, low-grade glioma patients suffer from a number of
neuropsychological and psychological problems that are aggravated by
the severity of epilepsy and by the intensity of the treatment.
PMID: 14520665 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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