부산대학교 도서관

Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the risk factors for early disability pension (EDP) in adult patients with epilepsy in a specialized epilepsy rehabilitation setting. Methods In a retrospective study, 246 patients with epilepsy and employment difficulties leading to referral to an inpatient rehabilitation unit were evaluated with a questionnaire on admission and after a mean of 2.5 years after discharge. Patients already receiving EDP at baseline were excluded. Epilepsy-related, demographic, and employment-related data as well as cognitive functioning and psychiatric comorbidity were assessed as risk factors for EDP at follow-up and analyzed using logistic regression models. Results Seventy-six percent of the patients had uncontrolled epilepsy, and 66.7% had psychiatric comorbidity. At follow-up, 33.7% received an EDP. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, age > 50 years (odds ratio (OR) 5.44, compared to age < 30 years), application for an EDP prior to admission (OR 3.7), sickness absence > 3 months in the previous year (OR 3.30, compared to sickness absence < 3 months), and psychiatric comorbidity (OR 2.79) were significant risk factors for an EDP at follow-up, while epilepsy-related factors and cognitive impairment showed an effect only in the univariate analyses. Conclusions Potential risk factors for EDP in patients with epilepsy were evaluated using multivariate analysis. Knowledge of such factors may help to develop appropriate criteria for rehabilitation candidacy and interventions to reduce the risk for EDP. This might lead to an amelioration of both psychosocial burden of patients and economic burden on society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]