The quality of life of children with chronic epilepsy and their families.

This paper describes the study investigating the quality of life among 108 school children with chronic epilepsy attending the epilepsy clinic at a children's hospital. Quality of life measurement was assessed with two questionnaires completed by the parents. The results showed clearly that epilepsy has the greatest impact among children who not only had intractable epilepsy but also had additional disabilities. The adverse impact was evident in three main areas: the management of epilepsy including the side effects from anticonvulsants; the deleterious effects on the child's adjustment and development and the restrictions on family life and activities. It would seem sensible to concentrate scarce professional resources on this group of children and their families.