A Survey on Epilepsy Patients from Public Health Aspects

간질환자(癎疾患者)에 대(對)한 보건학적(保健學的) 조사연구(調査硏究)

Two interview surveys (1976 for 800 patients, 1978 for 200 patients) and an inventory survey through medical records(1978) for epileptic patients who have registered with the Korean Epilepsy Association (Rose Club) since 1971 were carried out by trained health workers in advance of survey. The data obtained from the analysis showed as follows: 1) 35.2% of patients were born in Seoul and 70. 6% of patients born elsewhere have lived in Seoul. 2) 50-60% of patients were 15-30 years cid. 3) 33.4%, 24,6 and 24.6 of all pupils and students went to elementary, junior and senior high schools respectively. 4) 21.2% of all pupils and students had dropped out of school and 51.4% of them were away from school because of epilepsy. 5) 3.1% of all patients had no job at all and students comprised 20.9% of patients followed by clerical work, commercial business and farming with about 6% in each group.6) Reasons given for unemployment such as dismissal (4.3%), quit (27.7%), hesitation to employ (42.5%)and discontinuance of job (25.5%) were basically due to epilepsy. 7) About half(46.2%) of all patients have become Christian since the Rose Club was a voluntary agency which has been sponsored by Christians. 8) 82. 6% of patients were diagnosed as having grand mal as the most. 9) 29.4% of patients explained aura with psychomotor disturbances and 13.8% with sensory disorders. 10) 46.3% of patients were attacked with seizures when they were tired and others(11.6% and 4.9%) after excessive eating and hunger. 11) Patients suffered more seizures in spring and summer rather than in autumn and winter and most patients had attacks 1-5 times a month. 12) For etiologic reasons of epilepsy, 35.5% of patients considered it was caused by psychological stress and 11.5% by trauma. Only 1.1% of patients considered it as having hereditary components. 13) 51% of patients were slow in caring for their own illnesses. They started to reat epilepsy after spending 5 years of time from the initial seizure. Only 5.4% of patients had received the modern anti-epileptic therapy right after the nitial seizure. 14) 62.1% of patients had no therapy or irregular or incomplete treatment before registration at the Rose Club Clinic. 15) Before registration at the Rose Club, 42.4% of patients received medical care. On the other hand, 25.6% went to herb doctors and 12.5% used to go to the drugstore in order to get anti-epileptic drugs. 16) 41. 6% of patients who took anti-epileptic drugs had more or less side-effects. Indigestion was the most common. 17) For continuation of treatment, 30.3% have received treatment for more than 5 years and the evident showed that epilepsy took a longer time to be cured. 18) Regarding the medical care received 44.2% of patients were very satisfied with effective care and 26.5% felt as good. 19) For attitudes toward epilepsy. 27.0% of patients and 68.2% of patients family were pessimistic. 20) 65.9% of patients had optimistic attitudes toward effectiveness of medical care of epilepsy. 21) 64.8% of wives and husbands had better understanding and cooperative for their spouses who had epilepsy. 22) 33.3% of patients were under-treated at the place of work. 23) 70.2% of patients wished to marry when they reach childbearing age and 63% wished to have children. Through the above results it is recommended for nation-wide epilepsy control that the sound and correct health education not only from health aspect but also from welfare aspect should be planned and implemented as soon as possible.