• Andreja Bujan Kovač, Željka Petelin Gadže, Katarina Ivana Tudor, Sibila Nanković, Vlatko Šulentić, Zdravka Poljaković, Goran Mrak, Monika Mudrovčić, Ira Brezak, Dragana Mijatović, Filip Đerke, Andrej Desnica, Jakob Nemir, Ivana Čajić, Petra Nimac Kozina, Biljana Đapić Ivančić, Borislav Radić, and Sanja Hajnšek.
• 1Department of Neurology, Zagreb University Hospital Centre, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 
Referral Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia for Epilepsy, 
Affiliated Partner of the ERN EpiCARE, Zagreb, Croatia; 
2Department of Neurosurgery, Zagreb University Hospital Centre, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Affiliated Partner of EUROCAN, Zagreb, Croatia; 
3Dr. Fran Mihaljević University Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Zagreb, Croatia; 
4Klinički studio, Private Psychology Practice, Zagreb, Croatia; 
5Istrian Health Centre, Umag Section, Umag, Croatia; 
6Department of Neurology, Dubrava University Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 
Zagreb, Croatia; 
7Sveti Ivan Psychiatric Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia.
• Acta Clin Croat. 2021 Dec 1; 60 (Suppl 3): 162416-24.

AbstractA prospective study was carried out at the Zagreb University Hospital Centre to evaluate the relationship between epilepsy, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and quality of life (QoL) in patients with epilepsy (PE), and its association with depressive symptoms and sexual dysfunction (SD). QoL was assessed by use of the Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 Inventory (QOLIE-31), SD by the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX), and depressive symptoms by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D17). The study included 108 PE (women 63% and men 37% men), mean age 39.54±15.91 years. Focal type epilepsy was diagnosed in 14.8%, generalized type in 35.2%, and both types were present in 40.7% of study patients. Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) was present in 44/108 and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) was implanted in 27/44 patients. The mean response on QOLIE-31 was 62.88±17.21 with no significant differences according to gender, type of epilepsy, and age. A statistically significantly lower QoL was found in the 'Overall QoL' domain (35-55 vs. <35 age group). Patients taking both types of AEDs had a significantly lower QoL compared to those on newer types of AEDs. Higher QoL was associated with less pronounced depressive symptoms (p=0.000). Significant correlations were found between lower QoL and SD (p=0.001). In 27 patients with DRE having undergone VNS, a favorable effect of VNS implantation on the QoL and mood was observed as compared with 18 patients without VNS (p=0.041).

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