scholarly journals Baseline results from the European non-interventional Antipsychotic Long acTing injection in schizOphrenia (ALTO) study

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 85-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Michel Llorca ◽  
Julio Bobes ◽  
W. Wolfgang Fleischhacker ◽  
Stephan Heres ◽  
Nicholas Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Interventional Study ◽  
Global Functioning ◽  
Second Generation Antipsychotic ◽  
Long Acting

AbstractBackground:The Antipsychotic Long-acTing injection in schizOphrenia (ALTO) study was a non-interventional study across several European countries examining prescription of long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics to identify sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients receiving and physicians prescribing LAIs. ALTO was also the first large-scale study in Europe to report on the use of both first- or second-generation antipsychotic (FGA- or SGA-) LAIs.Methods:Patients with schizophrenia receiving a FGA- or SGA-LAI were enrolled between June 2013 and July 2014 and categorized as incident or prevalent users. Assessments included measures of disease severity, functioning, insight, well-being, attitudes towards antipsychotics, and quality of life.Results:For the 572 patients, disease severity was generally mild-to-moderate and the majority were unemployed and/or socially withdrawn. 331/572 were prevalent LAI antipsychotic users; of whom 209 were prescribed FGA-LAI. Paliperidone was the most commonly prescribed SGA-LAI (56% of incident users, 21% of prevalent users). 337/572 (58.9%) were considered at risk of non-adherence. Prevalent LAI users had a tendency towards better insight levels (PANSS G12 item). Incident FGA-LAI users had more severe disease, poorer global functioning, lower quality of life, higher rates of non-adherence, and were more likely to have physician-reported lack of insight.Conclusions:These results indicate a lower pattern of FGA-LAI usage, reserved by prescribers for seemingly more difficult-to-treat patients and those least likely to adhere to oral medication.

scholarly journals Poor Physical Capacity in Bronchiectasis Patients Is Correlated with Poor Quality of Life

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarkko Mäntylä ◽  
Tanja Törölä ◽  
Witold Mazur ◽  
Paula Bergman ◽  
Paula Kauppi
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Bacterial Colonization ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Physical Capacity ◽  
Bacterial Colonisation ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract BackgroundTo study the risk factors associated with quality of life (QoL) in a cohort of Finnish non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (BE) patients. We aimed to evaluate which of the clinical characteristics were risk factors for poor quality of life, how patients with frequent exacerbations differed from those with only few exacerbations and if QoL symptom domains were correlated with dyspnoea or severity of BE.MethodsA cross-sectional study and part of the EMBARC study including questionnaire data and medical record data. Study participants were recruited between August 2016 and March 2018 from three different pulmonary clinics in Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUH) catchment area, Finland. The study included 95 adult patients with (mean age was 69 (SD± 13) years).A Finnish translation of the disease-specific quality of life-bronchiectasis (QoL-B) questionnaire was applied, and scores in the lowest quarter (25%) of the scale were considered to indicate poor QoL. The bronchiectasis severity index (BSI) and FACED (including FEV1, age, pulmonary bacterial colonization, affected lobes and dyspnoea) score were used. The severity of dyspnoea was examined using the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnoea scale.ResultsAlmost all (82%) presented with chronic sputum production and exacerbations, with a median rate of 1.7 (SD ±1.6). Exacerbations (OR 1.7, p < 0.01), frequent exacerbations (OR 4.9, p < 0.01), high BSI score (OR 1.3, p < 0.01) and extensive disease (OR 3.7, p = 0.05) were predictive of poor QoL. Frequent exacerbations were associated with bronchial bacterial colonisation, low forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and radiological disease severity. Based on the BSI, 34.1% of our cohort had severe disease, whereas 11.6% were classified as severe according to the FACED score. The mMRC dyspnoea score (r = -0.57) and BSI (r = -0.60) were negatively correlated with physical domain in QoL-B questionnaire. ConclusionFrequent exacerbations, radiological disease severity and high BSI score were predictive of poor QoL. Reduced physical capacity was correlated with dyspnoea and severity of disease. Interventions to reduce bacterial colonisation and to maintain physical functioning should be used to minimize exacerbations and to improve quality of life in BE patients.Study registrationUniversity of Helsinki, faculty of medicine; 148/16.08.2017

scholarly journals BOTTOM-UP STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND INFORMAL LEARNING: TARGETING MEN AGED 60 YEARS OR MORE

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Gregorčič
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Qualitative Research Study ◽  
Community Based Learning ◽  
Health And Well Being

The article presents findings from a large-scale qualitative research study conducted as part of a three-year Erasmus+ project entitled Old Guys Say Yes to Community, which included partners from Slovenia, Portugal, Poland and Estonia. The project explored how inactive ageing affects the quality of life, health and well-being of men aged 60 years or more, and how (self-)exclusion from the community can lead to social and psychological ‘death’. The article highlights four interconnected themes which are inadequately, insufficiently, or simply not addressed by national institutions and often also the non-governmental sector in the researched countries. The themes – the pluralisation of transitions to retirement and ageing; absent bodies and invisible lives; hegemonic masculinity and gendered experiences; and community-based learning, action and spaces – are supported by well-defined issues and obstacles preventing men from integrating into the community and are completed with suggestions and recommendations to implement much-needed changes. In addition to these four themes, the article touches upon a series of subtopics and questions that should be addressed by further scientific research in the observed countries.

scholarly journals Poor Physical Capacity in Bronchiectasis Patients Is Correlated with Poor Quality of Life

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarkko Mäntylä ◽  
Witold Mazur ◽  
Tanja Törölä ◽  
Paula Bergman ◽  
Paula Kauppi
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Healthcare Utilisation ◽  
Forced Expiratory Volume ◽  
Physical Capacity ◽  
Bacterial Colonisation ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Background: Bronchiectasis (BE) is an increasing burden on healthcare systems, and there is an urgent need for improved treatments, better clinical care and for clinical and translational research on this condition. Reducing the number of exacerbations is one of the key goals in BE management. Patients who suffer from frequent exacerbations are likely to experience more exacerbations, which have negative effects on quality of life (QoL), healthcare utilisation and mortality. Thus, we aimed to investigate the risk factors associated with quality of life (QoL) in a cohort of Finnish non-cystic fibrosis BE patients.Methods: A cross-sectional study is part of the EMBARC. Recruitment occurred between August 2016 and March 2018 from three clinics in Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland. The study included 95 adult patients (mean age was 69 (SD± 13) years). Seventy nine percent were women. A disease-specific quality of life-bronchiectasis (QoL-B) questionnaire was applied, and scores in the lowest quarter (24%) indicate poor QoL. The bronchiectasis severity index (BSI) and FACED score were used. The severity of dyspnoea was examined using the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnoea scale. Results: Almost all (82%) presented with chronic sputum production and exacerbation, with a median rate of 1.7 (SD ±1.6). Exacerbations (OR 1.7), frequent exacerbations (OR 4.9, p < 0.01), high BSI score (OR 1.3, p < 0.01) and extensive disease (OR 3.7, p = 0.05) were predictive of poor QoL. Frequent exacerbations were associated with bronchial bacterial colonisation, low forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and radiological disease severity. Based on the BSI, 34.1% of our cohort had severe disease, whereas 11.6% were classified as severe according to the FACED score. The mMRC dyspnoea score (r = -0.57) and BSI (r = -0.60) were negatively correlated with physical domain in QoL-B questionnaire. Conclusion: Frequent exacerbations, radiological disease severity and high BSI score were predictive of poor QoL. Reduced physical capacity was correlated with dyspnoea and severity of disease. Interventions to reduce bacterial colonisation and to maintain physical functioning should be used to minimize exacerbations and to improve QoL.Study registration: University of Helsinki, faculty of medicine; 148/16.08.2017; Registered 16 August 2017; https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/

DISSEMINATING A CLINICALLY EFFECTIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAM TO PRESERVE MOBILITY IN A COMMUNITY SETTING FOR OLDER ADULTS

2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
J. LAUSSEN ◽  
C. KOWALESKI ◽  
K. MARTIN ◽  
C. HICKEY ◽  
R.A. FIELDING ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Counseling Intervention

Background: As the population of older adults continues to increase, the dissemination of strategies to maintain independence of older persons is of critical public health importance. Recent large-scale clinical trial evidence has definitively shown intervention of moderate-intensity physical activity (PA) reduces major mobility disability in at-risk older adults. However, it remains unknown whether structured PA interventions, with demonstrated efficacy in controlled, clinical environments, can be successfully disseminated into community settings to benefit wider populations of older adults. Objective: To assess the dissemination of an evidence-based PA program for older adults by evaluating program participation and its impact on mobility, strength and quality of life. Setting: An urban senior center. Participants: Fifty older adults (71.2 ± 8 years aged; BMI: 30.1 ± 7 kg/m2). Intervention: Average of 8.0 ± 1.8 months of participation in the Fit-4-Life Program, a community-based PA and nutrition counseling intervention. Measurements: Mobility (Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)), self-reported physical activity (CHAMPS questionnaire), leg strength, grip strength, and quality of life (Quality of Well-Being Self-Administered (QWB-SA) scale) were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Results: Mean attendance was 55.8%. Fourteen participants were lost to follow-up. Those who dropped-out engaged in less PA at baseline (78 ± 108 mins/wk) compared to those who completed follow-up (203 ± 177 mins/wk, P=0.01). Participants exhibited sustained increases of PA (65 ± 153 mins/wk, P= 0.08), and there were meaningful improvements in SPPB (0.5 ± 0.2, P< 0.01), knee extensor strength (2.6 ± 4.4 kg, P< 0.01) and QWB-SA (0.04 ± 0.09, P= 0.05). Conclusion: The dissemination of a clinically efficacious PA intervention into a community-based setting can improve mobility, strength and quality of life for older adults. This knowledge may be helpful for the design and implementation of larger-scale PA intervention studies designed to preserve mobility in older adults within community-based settings.

scholarly journals Clinical characteristics and quality of life in seborrheic dermatitis patients: a cross-sectional study in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meiling Xuan ◽  
Chuanjian Lu ◽  
Zehui He
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Skin Disease ◽  
Clinical Characteristics ◽  
Seborrheic Dermatitis ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Pm 10

Abstract Background Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is a common, chronic, inflammatory skin disorder, yet few studies have reported its clinical characteristics, or addressed its effect on quality of life (QoL). This study assesses the clinical characteristics and QoL of SD patients in China. It also identifies the clinical, demographic and environmental factors that may influence QoL. Methods Three hundred twelve SD outpatients from 9 hospitals completed a survey. QoL was measured with the dermatology-specific instrument Skindex-29. We collected social demographic characteristics and disease severity, and conducted logistic regression to determine the factors associated with QoL impairment. Results 67.3% of the patients were females. The mean Skindex-29 overall score was 33.97 (SD = 20.55). The breakdown was 40.79 (SD = 24.24) for emotions, 32.83 (SD = 19.84) for symptoms and 28.3 (SD = 23.24) for functioning. 48.1% had severe emotional problems. Logistic regression analysis showed that BMI less than 25 (OR = 0.223; 95% CI: 0.072–0.692; P = 0.009), skin disease-related hospitalization (OR = 6.882; 95% CI:1.767–26.795; P = 0.005), environmental PM 10 levels above 120 μg/m3 (OR = 3.386; 95% CI: 1.253–9.15; P = 0.016) and severe disease conditions (OR = 4.438; 95% CI:1.26–15.626; P = 0.02) were risk factors for severe emotional impairment. Moreover, skin disease-related hospitalization (OR = 6.057; 95% CI:1.351–27.149; P = 0.019), environmental PM 10 levels between 70 and 120 μg/m3 (OR = 6.317; 94% CI: 1.704–23.42; P = 0.006), moderate (OR = 2.388; 95% CI: 1.272–4.487; P = 0.007) and severe disease conditions (OR = 5.732; 95% CI: 1.838–17.88; P = 0.003) were each risk factors for overall severe impairment. Conclusion In China, nearly half of SD patients had severely emotional problems. Disease severity, BMI, dermatologic hospitalization, and ambient PM 10 levels are each risk factors for QoL impairment in SD patients. These implications are alarming, and warrant public health attention in SD disease management.

The UNTOLD story

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 492-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ovidiu Ioan Moisescu ◽  
Oana Adriana Gică ◽  
Monica Maria Coroș ◽  
Anca C. Yallop
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Music Festival ◽  
Negative Impacts

Purpose This paper aims to examine the negative effects of events on residents’ quality of life. Particularly, the paper analyses the specific negative effects generated via “overtourism” for the duration of large-scale music festivals. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a case study method approach to examine the negative effects that UNTOLD, the largest music festival in Romania, has on residents’ quality of life. The case is analysed via a comprehensive desk research of secondary data from industry and academic sources. Findings Despite its success and the positive economic impact UNTOLD festival had on the host city, several issues have a negative impact on residents’ quality of life and well-being. The negative impacts are noise pollution, vandalism and crime, traffic and parking issues, waste and damages to the natural environment, pressure on and over usage of local services and infrastructure and the increased cost of living. Social implications Whilst organisers, local businesses and local authorities are the main parties benefiting from events, residents mainly feel the negative impact. Organisers, local authorities and businesses need to minimise the negative effects residents’ experience during the event by building sustainable partnerships and taking a more hands-on approach to sustainable and socially responsible practices. Current and potential initiatives are discussed in the paper. Originality/value This paper examines the negative impacts events may have on residents’ quality of life and discusses the case of a large-scale music festival, an under-researched context. The analysis and discussion may assist scholars and industry experts alike in generating new debates in sustainable event management practices, as well as festival organisers and public authorities in developing strategies for avoiding, containing or minimising the negative effects of events.

scholarly journals Patient Reported Outcome Measure in Atopic Dermatitis Patients Treated with Dupilumab: 52-Weeks Results

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 617
Author(s):  
Servando E. Marron ◽  
Lucia Tomas-Aragones ◽  
Carlos A. Moncin-Torres ◽  
Manuel Gomez-Barrera ◽  
Francisco Javier Garcia-Latasa de Aranibar
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Atopic Dermatitis ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome ◽  
Routine Clinical Practice ◽  
Patient Reported

Dupilumab is used to treat atopic dermatitis (AD) patients who have proven to be refractory to previous treatments. The aim of this study was to assess evolution and patient reported outcome measures in adult patients with moderate-to-severe AD treated with dupilumab in routine clinical practice. The outcomes were evaluated and registered at baseline and weeks 16, 40 and 52. The variables evaluated were: disease severity, pruritus, stressful life events, difficulty to sleep, anxiety and depression, quality of life, satisfaction, adherence to the treatment, efficacy and safety. Eleven patients were recruited between 14 Nov 2017 and 16 Jan 2018. Demographic variables: 90% Caucasian, 82% women. Clinical variables: Mean duration of AD = 17.7 (±12.8), 91% had severe disease severity. At baseline, SCORAD median (range) score = 69.2 (34.8–89.2); itch was reported by 100% of patients; itch visual analogue scale median (range) was 9 (6–10); HADS median (range) total score = 13 (5–21); DLQI mean score = 16 (2–27); EQ-5D-3L median (range) = 57 (30–99). At week-52 there was a significant reduction of SCORAD scores median (range) = 4.3 (0–17.1), HADS total score median (range) = 2 (0–10) and improved quality of life EQ-5D-3L median (range) = 89 (92–60). This study confirms that dupilumab, used for 52-weeks under routine clinical practice, maintains the improved atopic dermatitis signs and symptoms obtained at week 16, with a good safety profile.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document