Abstracts

Employment status is a significant issue for people with epilepsy. Employment has been described as an important factor in their quality of life, yet high unemployment rates have been previously reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate employment status and factors associated with employment in patients with refractory epilepsy., Data were collected from 44 adult epilepsy patients undergoing evaluation for epilepsy surgery at the University of Michigan. Data was obtained via self-completed questionaire and from the patient[apos]s medical record. Students were excluded., The unemployment rate in this population was 72%. Overall quality of life was rated higher in the employed group, but did not reach statistical significance. There was not a significant difference in age of onset of seizures or seizure frequency between the employed and unemployed. Those that were employed had attained a higher level of education on average, with 40% having a college degree, compared to 11% in the unemployed population. The importance of employment to quality of life was rated highly, with 75% of the population reporting it as very important. 17% of the population reported that they continued to drive. Lack of seizure control was ranked as the primary variable hindering employment by 96% of the unemployed. Driving status alone had the highest odds of predicting employment status (p=0.001)., Employment status is an important quality of life issue for people with epilepsy, yet the unemployment rate in those with medically refractory epilepsy is much higher than that of the general population. Awareness of this issue may be helpful to epileptologists in caring for this patient population.,