Abstract
Objective To analyze long-term employment outcomes in a population-based cohort of adults who underwent epilepsy surgery in childhood or adolescence and to compare the results to general population reference data.
Methods Prospective data on epilepsy surgery procedures performed on patients <19 years of age between 1995 and 2012 were extracted from the Swedish National Epilepsy Surgery Register. Five-, 10-, 15- and 20-year follow-up data were analyzed. Patients aged ≥19 years at follow-up were eligible for inclusion. Educational attainment and employment status were analyzed in relation to seizure outcome. Education and employment outcomes of seizure-free patients with a preoperative IQ of ≥70 were compared to general population reference data.
Results A total of 203 patients were included. The mean age at surgery was 13.6 years and 66% had IQ ≥70. Of these, a majority had attained at least high school education 5 years after surgery. Employment rates were 44%, 69%, 71%, and 77% at the 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year follow-ups, respectively. Seizure-free patients were significantly more likely to work full-time. Educational attainment and rates of full-time employment of seizure-free patients were similar to the general population. A majority of patients with IQ <70 had attended special education and were reliant on social benefits.
Conclusion Long-term overall employment rates were higher compared to most previous studies on surgery in adults. Seizure-free patients with a preoperative IQ ≥70 showed rates of full-time employment similar to the general population. Further research is needed to determine whether this also applies for occupational complexity and wages.
Glossary
- CI=
- confidence intervals;
- SNESUR=
- Swedish National Epilepsy Surgery Register;
- TLR=
- temporal lobe resection
Footnotes
Go to Neurology.org/N for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.
↵* These authors contributed equally to the supervision of this work.
The Article Processing Charge was funded by the authors.
- Received February 12, 2019.
- Accepted in final form July 9, 2019.
- Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology.
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