Quality of life and its relation with sleep habits of children with epilepsy from Eastern India

BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic disorders of the central nervous system. The quality of life of children with epilepsy is influenced by various factors including their sleep. To assess the quality of life and sleep habits among children with epilepsy and to determine the association of QOL and sleep habits, with sociodemographic and clinical variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 50 epileptic children aged 4–18 years, recruited using a convenient sampling technique from the IPDs and OPDs of the Paediatrics department of a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India. The data were collected using QOLCE-16 and CSHQ from parents of children with epilepsy. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as ANOVA and Pearson correlation test. RESULTS: The overall mean score of QOL was 50.78 ± 17.98, with the cognitive domain having the highest mean score of 65.50 ± 27.79 and the social domain having the lowest mean score of 29.87 ± 22.81. The overall mean sleep score was found to be 56.98 ± 8.13. Daytime sleepiness, parasomnias, and bedtime resistance were found to be frequent sleep problems in children with epilepsy. There was a significant negative correlation between QOL and sleep disturbances in children with epilepsy (r = −0.65, P ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSION: The QOL of children with epilepsy should be improved to reduce the effect of sleep problems. Epilepsy children should be treated appropriately with due focus on medication compliance as it was found to be one of the determinants in improving their QOL.