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.