Choosing the appropriate treatment strategies for each patient could directly impact their quality of life, in cases with Dravet syndrome (DS), according to a recent study in Neurology and Therapy.
“These results highlight the importance of increasing SFDs with effective antiseizure treatments, and the need for HTAs and other economic evaluations to consider the effectiveness of DS treatments beyond their impact on seizure reduction, and beyond the impact on patients alone,” the authors wrote.
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This observational study included a total of 128 patients previously diagnosed with DS who were participants in past clinical trials and completed the Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) inventory. The researchers mapped these results to the EuroQol-5 Dimensions Youth version (EQ-5D-Y) to obtain the patient’s utilities while addressing the caregiver’s utilities through the EQ-5D-5L mapped out to the EQ-5D-3L.
Linear mixed-effects and panel regression models determined that seizure-free days (SFD) during 28 continuous days significantly predicted the quality of life of these patients. Interestingly, a greater number of SFDs also correlated with the caregiver’s quality of life improvement. Each adjustment above 28 SFDs is further associated with increased utilities by 0.005 and 0.014 for patients and their caregivers, respectively.
These findings highlight the importance of selecting the right management approach for each patient. Medical treatment has effectively decreased and, in some cases, eliminated future seizure attacks. Regardless, the same drug may not achieve the same result in all patients, hence the importance of personalized treatment strategies. Moreover, this study greatly illustrates the impact a well-controlled seizure disorder could have on patients and their caregivers.
“This confirms the need to consider the impact of DS and DS treatments beyond seizures, and beyond the patient alone,” the authors concluded.
Despite the important results of this study, further investigations with a greater sample size must confirm the replicability of these findings.
Reference
Pinsent A, Weston G, Adams E, et al. Determining the relationship between seizure-free days and other predictors of quality of life in patients with Dravet syndrome and their carers from FFA registration studies. Neurol Ther. Published online June 16, 2023. doi:10.1007/s40120-023-00510-8
