Abstract
Objective : Adverse effects are leading causes of treatment
failure with antiepileptic drugs(AEDs).We studied the cosmetic effects
of AEDs and their association with medications adherence and quality of
life .
Methods : The study was performed on Sudanese epilepsy patients
attending Daoud charity (June-September2014).Five main variables were
used(1)Cosmetic effects profile;(2)Morisky Medication Adherence
Scale(MMAS-8);(3)WHO Quality of Life Brief-26;(4)Socio-demographic
data,and (5)Epilepsy related data. A senior neurologist assessed the
cosmetic effects through clinical examination of the patients. Consents
have been obtained from all patients.
Results : Out of 420 patients male were (54.15%) and female
were (45.85%),mean age 34.1+-10.4 years. Hair loss was the most
commonly reported cosmetic effect by female patients (75%) who were
taking sodium valproate.(26.2%)of patients had weight gain and none of
them thought weight gain is an adverse effect. Neither of life score,
nor adherence score were correlated with any of the cosmetic effects of
AEDs (P>0.05).A significant positive correlations was found
between the duration from the last attack and the quality of life score
(P=0.03). The Gum overgrowth was correlated with hirsutism and
Acne(P>0.05).
Significance : We concluded that our patients prioritize
medications intake in spite of the presence of cosmetic effects, and
this-together with absence of association between quality of life and
the cosmetic effect-may be attributed to different Sudanese patients
perception to these cosmetic effects from other populations in addition
to the unique Sudanese culture.