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QOL Data (qol + data)
Selected AbstractsGabapentin can improve postural stability and quality of life in primary orthostatic tremorMOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 7 2005Julian P. Rodrigues MD Abstract Primary orthostatic tremor (OT) is characterized by leg tremor and instability on standing. High frequency (13,18 Hz) tremor bursting is present in leg muscles during stance, and posturography has shown greater than normal sway. We report on an open-label add-on study of gabapentin in 6 patients with OT. Six patients were studied with surface electromyography, force platform posturography, and a modified Parkinson's disease questionnaire (PDQ-39) quality of life (QOL) scale before and during treatment with gabapentin 300 mg t.d.s. If on other medications for OT, these were continued unchanged. Of the 6 patients, 4 reported a subjective benefit of 50 to 75% with gabapentin, 3 of whom showed reduced tremor amplitude and postural sway of up to 70%. Dynamic balance improved in all 3 patients who completed the protocol. QOL data from 5 patients showed improvement in all cases. No adverse effects were noted. Gabapentin may improve tremor, stability, and QOL in patients with OT, and symptomatic response correlated with a reduction in tremor amplitude and postural sway. The findings confirm previous reports of symptomatic benefit with gabapentin and provide justification for larger controlled clinical trials. Further work is required to establish the optimal dosage and to validate the methods used to quantify the response to treatment. © 2005 Movement Disorder Society [source] Predictors of quality of life in old age: A cross-validation study,RESEARCH IN NURSING & HEALTH, Issue 2 2007Gail Low Abstract A replication study was undertaken to validate a model of quality of life (QOL) generated in an earlier study on a random sample of 202 older adults. Pathways found to be significant were retested using QOL data from a convenience sample of 420 older adults. Using path analysis, we found that financial resources, health, and meaning in life directly and positively influenced QOL. Health, emotional support, and the physical environment indirectly affected QOL through purpose in life. All but one pathway were replicated, explaining 50.5% of the variance in QOL. Further explorations of the influence of spirituality, emotionally close ties, and opportunities for active engagement on QOL in older age are warranted. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 30: 141,150, 2007 [source] Association between quality of life scores and short-term outcome after surgery for cancer of the oesophagus or gastric cardiaBRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY (NOW INCLUDES EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY), Issue 12 2005J. M. Blazeby Background: Evidence suggests that baseline quality of life (QOL) scores are independently prognostic for survival in patients with cancer, but the role of QOL data in predicting short-term outcome after surgery is uncertain. This study assessed the association between QOL scores and short-term outcomes after surgery for oesophageal and gastric cancer. Methods: Consecutive patients selected for oesophagectomy or total gastrectomy between November 2000 and May 2003 completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer's quality of life questionnaire, QLQ-C30. Multivariable regression models, adjusting for known clinical risk factors, were used to investigate relationships between QOL scores, major morbidity, hospital stay and survival status at 6 months. Results: Of 130 patients, 121 completed the questionnaire (response rate 93·1 per cent). There were 29 major complications (24·0 per cent) and 22 patients (18·2 per cent) died within 6 months of operation. QOL scores were not associated with major morbidity but were significantly related to survival status at 6 months after adjusting for known clinical risk factors. A worse fatigue score of 10 points (scale 0,100) corresponded to an increase in the odds of death within 6 months of surgery of 37·4 (95 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 12·4 to 67·8) per cent (P = 0·002). Pretreatment social function scores were moderately associated with hospital stay (P = 0·021); a reduction in social function by 10 points corresponded to an increase in hospital stay of 0·93 (95 per cent c.i. 0·12 to 1·74) days. Conclusion: QOL scores supplement standard staging procedures for oesophageal and gastric cancer by providing prognostic information, but they do not contribute to perioperative risk assessment. Copyright © 2005 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Intensity-modulated or conformal radiotherapy improves the quality of life of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinomaCANCER, Issue 2 2007Comparisons of four radiotherapy techniques Abstract BACKGROUND. It was reported previously that the dosimetric superiority of conformal radiotherapy (RT), either 3-dimensional conformal RT (3D-CRT) or intensity-modulated RT (IMRT), over conventional 2D-RT translated into clinical benefits for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this study, the authors compared quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes of NPC survivors who received treatment with 1 of 4 different RT techniques at a single institute during different periods. METHODS. The authors analyzed QOL data of from 237 patients with NPC who were cancer free for 2 or 3 years when their QOL was assessed. The study population included 152 patients who received conventional RT (2D-RT, 61 patients; 2D-RT plus 3D-CRT boost, 91 patients) and 85 patients who received conformal RT (3D-CRT, 33 patients; IMRT, 52 patients). The European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Core QOL questionnaire and the EORTC Head and Neck QOL questionnaire were completed. RESULTS. Compared with patients who received with conventional RT, patients who received conformal RT had both statistically (P < .05) and clinically (a difference in mean scores ,10 points) significant improvements in the scales of global QOL, pain, appetite loss, senses, speech, social eating, teeth, opening mouth, xerostomia, sticky saliva, and feeling ill. No significant difference was observed in any of the scales that compared 2D-RT with 2D-RT plus 3D-CRT boost or that compared 3D-CRT with IMRT. Survivors who received conformal RT had a 2.01-fold higher probability (odds ratio [OR], 2.01; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.19,3.68) of reporting good global QOL and a 2.70-fold lower probability (OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.20,0.66) of reporting a high level of xerostomia than survivors who received conventional RT. CONCLUSIONS. Conformal RT substantially improved head and neck-related symptoms and broad aspects of QOL for survivors of NPC. Cancer 2007. © 2006 American Cancer Society. [source] Agreement between parent and child report of quality of life in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderCHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2006A. F. Klassen Abstract Background There is little information in the research literature of agreement between parent and child in reports of child quality of life (QOL) for a sample of children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of our study was to determine whether parent and child concordance is greater for physical domains of QOL than for psychosocial domains; whether parents rate their child's QOL better or poorer than their child's ratings; and whether concordance is related to demographic, socioeconomic or clinical factors. Methods The study was a questionnaire survey of children aged 10,17 referred to the ADHD clinic and diagnosed with ADHD in the province of British Columbia (Canada) between November 2001 and October 2002 and their parent. Results Fifty-eight children diagnosed with ADHD and their parents completed our study questionnaire. The main outcome measure was the Child Health Questionnaire, which permitted comparisons on eight QOL domains and one single item. Intraclass correlation coefficients were moderate for five domains (range from 0.40 to 0.51), and good for three domains (range from 0.60 to 0.75). Children rated their QOL significantly better than their parents in four areas and poorer in one. Standardized Response Means indicated clinically important differences in mean scores for Behaviour and Self-esteem. Compared with population norms, across most domains, children with ADHD reported comparable health. Discrepancies between parent,child ratings were related to the presence of a comorbid oppositional/defiant disorder, a psychosocial stressor and increased ADHD symptoms. Conclusions Although self-report is an important means of eliciting QOL data, in children with ADHD, given the discrepancies in this study between parent and child report, measuring both perspectives seems appropriate. [source] Pilot Study of Sexual Dysfunction Following Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm SurgeryTHE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 4ii 2007MRCSI, Vincent Koo MBBCh ABSTRACT Introduction., The complication of sexual dysfunction as a quality of life (QoL) component after abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery in men is poorly studied. Aims., To investigate the prevalence of sexual dysfunction and to highlight the importance of discussing this issue with patients undergoing AAA repair. Main Outcome Measures., The self-reported sexual dysfunction prevalence pre- and postoperatively, the effects on sexual QoL, and the postoperative Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) scores. Methods., Between April 1999 and July 2002, a questionnaire-based study, including the SHIM, was conducted on male patients 1,2 years after their elective open (EO) and rupture open (RO) or endovascular repair (EVAR) AAA repair. Demographics, risk factors for sexual dysfunction, sexual history, and postoperative sexual QoL data were obtained. Results., Out of 142 alive male patients surveyed, 56 (40%) patients responded (26 EO, 21 EVAR, and 9 RO repair). The mean age was 69, 73, and 70 years, respectively, and 65%, 66%, and 66%, respectively, admitted to be sexually active postoperatively. The self-reported sexual dysfunction prevalence preoperatively was 27% (EO), 63% (EVAR), and 45% (RO); and postoperatively was 58%, 76%, and 67%, respectively. Detection using SHIM was higher at 70%, 95%, and 78%, respectively. There was a significantly greater increase in the postoperative prevalence of sexual dysfunction in the EO group than in the EVAR group (P < 0.05, ,2). The sexual QoL was worsened postoperatively in all groups: 53% (EO), 75% (EVAR), and 50% (RO); but only one-third of EO and EVAR patients, and none in RO patients, would seek treatment for their sexual dysfunction. Conclusion., There was a negative impact on the sexual QoL in all groups after surgery, and a significantly higher proportion of patients experienced deterioration in sexual QoL following EO surgical repair. Our results demonstrate the need for a prospective study. Koo V, Lau L, McKinley A, Blair P, and Hood J. Pilot study of sexual dysfunction following abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery. J Sex Med 2007;4:1147,1152. [source] Willingness-to-pay and quality of life in patients with vitiligoBRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2009M.A. Radtke Summary Background, Vitiligo is a chronic pigmentary disorder of the skin, affecting 1,2% of the general population. Although not life threatening, vitiligo may considerably influence patients' health-related quality of life (QoL) and psychological well-being. Willingness-to-pay (WTP) is a construct reflecting disease burden and QoL reduction which has not yet been used in vitiligo. Objectives, To assess the WTP and the QoL of patients with vitiligo. Methods, Patients with vitiligo were included in a nationwide German postal survey. WTP was assessed by two standardized items, and QoL was evaluated using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the EuroQol (EQ-5D) questionnaire. QoL data were compared with n = 1511 patients from a national survey on psoriasis. Results, The questionnaire was completed by 1023 patients (71·5% women, mean age 44·4 years, mean disease duration 20·3 years) with vitiligo. The mean DLQI was 7·0 (7·5 in women, 5·5 in men) compared with 8·6 in psoriasis. Of the patients with vitiligo, 24·6% had a DLQI > 10 which indicates severe QoL reductions, compared with 34·1% in patients with psoriasis. The highest mean DLQI value was observed in the patient group aged 20,29 years. EQ-5D mean score was 83·6 compared with 75·3 in psoriasis. Of the patients with vitiligo, 32·9% would pay more than 5000 Euro in order to achieve complete disease remission. WTP was highest among middle-aged patients (30,60 years). There was a significant correlation between DLQI scores and WTP (,2 = 65·43, P < 0·001). Moreover, WTP significantly correlated with duration of disease, and with body surface area affected (P < 0·001). Conclusions, Vitiligo causes substantial disease burden as reflected by QoL impairment and high WTP, especially in women. These results should draw the attention of physicians to this disease, as appropriate education and treatment are likely to improve the QoL of patients with vitiligo and may support patients' compliance and empowerment. 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