Interictal Fatigue among Epileptic Patients

Abstract

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological condition with about 65 million people affected worldwide (Moshe

et al., 2015).

Epilepsy is defined as a disease of the brain with any of the following conditions:

 At least two unprovoked (or reflex) seizures occurring>24 hours apart.

 One unprovoked (or reflex) seizure and a probability of further seizures similar to the general recurrence risk (at least 60%) after two unprovoked seizures, occurring over the next 10 years (Falco-Walter et al., 2017). Cognitive and behavioral comorbidities are often seen

in with epilepsy, and are more common and severe in refractory epilepsy. These comorbidities are associated with worse quality of life, increased behavioral problems and worse social skills, all of which adversely affect long-term psychosocial functioning (Nickels et al., 2016).

The term ―fatigue‖ can be used to describe difficulty or

inability to initiate activity (subjective sense of weakness); reduced capacity to maintain activity (easy fatigability); or difficulty with concentration, memory, and emotional stability (mental fatigue). When some patients use the word