Long-term employment outcomes after epilepsy surgery in childhood
14 January, 2020
Jesper Reinholdson, Ingrid Olsson, Anna Edelvik Tranberg, Kristina Malmgren
Neurology December 3 2019 doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000008681
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
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
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.
Read full article in Neurology: Long-term employment outcomes after epilepsy surgery in childhood
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