scholarly journals Voice-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Latif Hamdan ◽  
Sahar Farhat ◽  
Rami Saadeh ◽  
Iyad El-Dahouk ◽  
Abla Sibai ◽  
...  

Objective. To investigate the voice-related quality of life in a group of patients with multiple sclerosis.Participants. A total of 87 subjects (59 MS subjects and 28 controls) participated in this study.Main Outcome Measures. Variables included presence or absence of phonatory symptoms, duration of the disease, the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), the severity of fatigue, and depression. All patients were asked to fill the Voice Handicap Index.Results. The average age was 35.47 years + 10.92 with 39% being males. The average duration of the disease was 77.93 months. The EDSS score was 1.94 + 1.84, the FSS score was 4.07 + 2.09, and the HRSD was 7.28 + 7.70. Only 7 subjects out of the 59 had vocal symptoms compared to 3 in the control group. There was no significant difference in the VHI total score between cases (5.9 + 15.5) and controls (5.4 + 8.2). There was a positive correlation between VHI total score, FSS score, and HRSD (Pvalues of 0.011 and <0.01.Conclusion. The voice-related quality of life in MS is within normal with no disability.

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 970-979 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Theodore Phillips ◽  
Gavin Giovannoni ◽  
Fred D Lublin ◽  
Paul W O’Connor ◽  
Chris H Polman ◽  
...  

Background: Validated measures of sustained improvements in neurological function have not been established for multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical studies. Objective: To evaluate sustained Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) change as a potential indicator of neurological improvement and as an outcome measure in MS clinical studies. Methods: Analyses were performed on patients ( n = 620) from the pivotal natalizumab study AFFIRM with baseline EDSS scores ≥2.0. Cumulative probabilities of neurological improvement, defined as a 1.0-point decrease in EDSS score sustained for ≥12 weeks, were estimated by Kaplan–Meier analysis. A Cox proportional hazards model identified associated baseline factors and examined treatment effects. Results: Sustained improvement (as well as sustained worsening) in neurological disability was seen in AFFIRM patients. Sustained EDSS changes correlated well with quality of life measurements (SF36 and VAS). Natalizumab increased the cumulative probability of improvement over 2 years by 69% versus placebo (HR = 1.69; 95% CI 1.16–2.45; p = 0.006). Sensitivity analyses showed consistent benefits of natalizumab with variations in improvement magnitude and duration, and baseline disease activity. Conclusion: These analyses demonstrate that sustained EDSS improvement is an additional measure that is sensitive to treatment effects over 2 years and correlates with quality of life. Further research is warranted to validate its use as an MS study clinical outcome.


2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina Sutherland ◽  
Mark B. Andersen ◽  
Mark A. Stoové

Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) are often advised not to participate in vigorous exercise. Leading a relatively sedentary life, however, may exacerbate the debilitating effects of MS. In this study, 22 people participated in either a no-special-activity group (n = 11) or an experimental group (n = 11) that involved water aerobics three times a week for 10 weeks. Measures taken included scales for health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and psychological well-being. ANCOVAs using social support and the appropriate pretest scores as covariates revealed that after the intervention, the exercise group had more energy and vigor (extremely large effect sizes). Other very large effects were found in the exercise group, which had better social and sexual functioning and less bodily pain and fatigue than the control group. Future research should involve long-term studies to determine whether exercise not only improves quality of life but also helps slow the progression of disease.


2010 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 726-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alina Gomide Vasconcelos ◽  
Vitor Geraldi Haase ◽  
Eduardo de Paula Lima ◽  
Marco Aurélio Lana-Peixoto

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important marker for health-related impacts on individuals with chronic diseases. This HRQOL study compares multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to a socio-demographically-matched healthy control group. HRQOL was assessed by means of a modular instrument (DEFU/DEFIS), which allows comparisons between diseased and healthy individuals. Main goal of the study was to obtain pertinent data to build a more reliable theoretical framework concerning HRQOL in MS. Another aim was to test the hypothesis of the so-called happiness paradox, according to which disabled individuals could maintain reasonable levels of HRQOL. Results show that MS individuals present lower levels of HRQOL in comparison to healthy controls, arguing against the happiness paradox hypothesis. Preservation of HRQOL levels against certain levels of disability may be restricted to a group of patients.


2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 268-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Moghaddam Tabrizi ◽  
Moloud Radfar

Background: Quality of life (QOL) is impaired in multiple sclerosis (MS) in part due to physical disability. MS-associated fatigue and poor sleep are common and treatable features of MS that affect QOL. We assessed the association between fatigue, sleep quality, and QOL in people with MS. Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 217 patients with MS. Health-related QOL (MS Quality of Life-54), fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale [FSS]), and sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory [PSQI]) were assessed. Expanded Disability Status Scale scores were also provided by a qualified neurologist. Results: The mean ± SD age of the 217 patients was 32.6 ± 8.6 years, and 79% were female. One hundred fifty-two patients (70.0%) were classified as poor sleepers based on PSQI scores; 122 (56.2%) had significant fatigue based on FSS results. The mean ± SE physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) health composite scores of the MSQOL-54 were 40.12 ± 1.27 and 43.81 ± 1.61, respectively. There was a strong statistically significant positive correlation between PCS scores and MCS (r = 0.58), FSS (r = 0.49), and PSQI (r = 0.52) scores. MCS scores were strongly correlated with FSS (r = 0.53) and PSQI (r = 0.35) scores. Age exhibited statistically significant negative correlations with PCS (r = −0.21) and MCS (r = −0.58) scores, and was statistically significantly correlated with FSS (r = 0.23) and PSQI (r = 0.21) scores. Expanded Disability Status Scale scores were strongly correlated with FSS scores. Conclusions: These findings support screening of fatigue severity and sleep quality and their effects on QOL.


2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Anne Tompkins ◽  
Jessica Ann Roeder ◽  
Jenifer J. Thomas ◽  
Kimberly K. Koch

Living with a chronic illness such as multiple sclerosis (MS) has significant psychosocial ramifications. In particular, the patient's relationship with a spouse or significant other is often negatively affected. Programs are needed to address the psychosocial challenges of the illness and help improve outcomes for both the person with MS and his or her romantic support partner. Relationship Matters (RM) is a relationship enrichment program that integrates information and resources of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society with empirically based marriage education. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the RM program in increasing relationship satisfaction and aspects of health-related quality of life in couples living with MS over a 3-month follow-up period. Couples were given 8 hours of programming via in-person workshops disseminated across the country or teleconferences. A control group consisting of members of MS couples who did not receive the intervention was used for comparison. The results indicate that RM significantly improved relationship satisfaction over time compared with no intervention (P &lt; .05). Additional findings include significant improvements in mental health–related quality of life as well as reported improvements in communication, conflict resolution, and ability to handle MS-specific relationship issues. Overall, these findings show that RM results in improved couple functioning and additional psychological health benefits for individuals with MS and their romantic support partners.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026921552110184
Author(s):  
Rita Lenoir dit Caron ◽  
Jeremy Coquart ◽  
Maxime Gilliaux

Objective: Investigate the effect of yoga on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with central nervous system disorders. Methods: A systematic search was conducted on the PubMed-NCBI, EBSCO Host, Cochrane Library, Scopus and ScienceDirect databases until 05 April 2021. Only randomized control trials published in English or French were included and had to compare yoga to another intervention group or a control group. They also had to clearly measure HRQoL. Methodological quality was assessed with the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials and the quality of evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria. Results: Sixteen studies were found, including six for multiple sclerosis, five for Parkinson’s disease, two for stroke, one for dementia, one for epilepsy and one for brain tumour. Only 12 studies performed between-group statistics and 8 found a significant difference between groups after treatment. When yoga was compared to no intervention, the results were generally in favour of the yoga group, but when yoga was compared to another intervention programme, there was generally no significant difference between groups. There were many different HRQoL questionnaires, even within the same disease, which reduces the comparability of studies. Conclusions: With low to moderate quality of the evidence, yoga seems effective to improve HRQoL in people with Parkinson’s disease. For multiple sclerosis, stroke, dementia, epilepsy and brain tumour, the quality of the evidence is still insufficient to conclude of the effectiveness of yoga.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Xuepei Li ◽  
Jianqiang Lin ◽  
Zidong Chen ◽  
Guangming Jin ◽  
Danying Zheng

Purpose. To determine the changes in vision-related quality of life and psychological distress after cataract surgery in monocular patients and to compared these with a control group of age- and gender-matched binocular patients. Methods. We enrolled 40 monocular patients and 40 binocular patients who underwent cataract surgery from August 2017 to December 2018. All participants undertook eye examinations and answered questionnaires (the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire, Self-rating Anxiety Scale, and Self-rating Depression Scale) before and after cataract surgery. Result. The monocular patients had significantly worse mean CDVA than the binocular patients before and after surgery. However, there was no significant difference between the increases gained by the two groups. Mean composite VFQ-25 scores of the monocular group were significantly lower than those of the binocular group before and after surgery, but the improvement experienced by the monocular group was statistically larger than the binocular group (37.20 ± 12.84 vs. 19.11 ± 5.13, P < 0.001 ). Mean standard SAS scores of monocular patients were significantly higher than those of binocular controls before and after surgery, while monocular patients experienced a significant greater decline of SAS scores (−9.41 ± 5.39 VS −3.84 ± 1.61, P < 0.001 ). Mean standard SDS scores of the monocular group were significantly higher than those of the control group before and after surgery, but the monocular group experienced a significantly greater decline of SDS scores following cataract surgery (−11.91 ± 6.38 VS −4.78 ± 1.79, P < 0.001 ). There was a significant correlation between the preoperative logMAR CDVA and both the postoperative logMAR CDVA (r = 0.63, P < 0.001 ) and the changes in the logMAR CDVA (r = −0.881, P < 0.001 ) for monocular patients. Linear regression analyses suggested that higher postoperative VFQ-25 scores had significant associations with better preoperative CDVA and the absence of systemic comorbidity (both P < 0.05 ). Age and ocular comorbidity were significantly associated with postoperative SAS scores (both P < 0.05 ). Age and systemic comorbidity remained significant impact factors for SDS scores (both P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. Monocular patients reported greater improvement in vision-related quality of life and greater decline in the level of anxiety and depression than binocular control subjects, despite having similar CDVA gains after cataract surgery. We argue that it is not a better choice for monocular patients to delay cataract surgery until the cataract is very advanced. A clear understanding of the impact of cataract surgery on vision-related quality of life and psychological distress in monocular patients is needed by ophthalmologists when making surgery decision.


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