scholarly journals Quality of life in patients with acromegaly based on the AcroQoL questionnaire

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-239
Author(s):  
A. V. Dreval ◽  
Yu. G. Pokramovich ◽  
I. A. Ilovayskaya ◽  
A. D. Gilyazova
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Radiation Treatment ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Somatostatin Analogues ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Potential Factors

Rationale: International experts emphasize that treatment strategies for patients with acromegaly should be aimed not only at normalization of biochemical parameters, but also at the achievement of better health-related quality of life (HRQL). However, the published data on the quality of life in patients with acromegaly is scarce.Aim: To assess HRQL in patients with acromegaly with a disease-specific validated questionnaire (AcroQoL) and to identify potential factors that may influence it.Materials and methods: One hundred fourteen (114) patients aged from 18 to 83 years (median age, 56 years, interquartile range, 46 to 63). All patients were divided into the age groups, as well as into the groups depending on the treatment they had received and on the control of acromegaly.Results: In the whole group of the patients (n = 114), the levels of insulin-like growth factor I significantly (p = 0.026) correlated with the domain “personal relationships”. When the patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly (n = 34) were compared to those who had been previously treated (n = 80), there were significant differences for “HRQL global” (p = 0.015) and “physical dimension” (p = 0.009). HRQL of the patients with controlled (n = 37) acromegaly did not differ from HRQL of those with uncontrolled disease (n = 43) (p > 0.05). Surgery and radiation treatment had no impact on the patients' HRQL (p > 0.05), whereas the treatment with somatostatin analogues improved only its physical dimension (p = 0.034).Conclusion: Treatment interventions do not improve quality of life in patients with acromegaly. This can be explained as follows: modern treatment approaches (surgery, radiation) do not lead to immediate noticeable results, whereas treatment-related complications can manifest themselves clearly. As a result, the patient may get an impression that his/ hers quality of life has not improved, despite the fact that the expediency of the specific treatment administered has been absolutely proven.

Scoring Adherence in Hemophilia Care and Comparing It to Quality of Life (QofL).

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 2260-2260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue duTreil ◽  
Janet Rice ◽  
Cindy A. Leissinger
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Treatment Regimen ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Clotting Factor ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Treatment Regimens ◽  
Adherence Score ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Non-adherence to home based treatment even 10% of the time in hemophilia care may portend a poor outcome and long-range quality of life issues, despite a still enormous financial cost. This study was a rigorous effort to quantify adherence and then compare it to QofL. 79 subjects with hemophilia (48 >18-years and 31<18-years) participated in the study and completed the SF-36 or Child Health Questionnaire (validated QofL forms). Subjects were either using on-demand (OD) treatment regimens or on high intensity (HI) treatment strategies i.e. prophylaxis or immune tolerance therapy. Physician’s specific treatment order for dose and frequency of clotting factor concentrate (CFC) were collected. Factor infusion logs kept by patients were reviewed to determine how factor use matched treatment recommendations. Infusion logs were maintained by 47 of 79 subjects (59%). The amount of CFC used was entered into a database along with the date of the infusion and the reason for the infusion. Due to vial size variability doses that were within 80% to 150% of the prescribed dose for children and 80% to 120% for adults were considered adherent. A scoring system was developed for both OD and HI users based on documented usage patterns. A given subject’s adherence score could range from 0 (representing total non-adherence) to 100% (representing perfect adherence). A subject’s adherence percentile was then ranked accordingly: 0% to 33% = Low Adherence, 34% to 66% = Moderate Adherence, 67% to 100% = High Adherence. Chi Square was used to determine the relationship between adherence and treatment regimen and a two-way analysis of variance was used to compare QofL in subjects with treatment logs to adherence and treatment regimen. Subjects on HI had lower adherence patterns than those on OD (p=. 018). Significant findings related to QofL included that body pain in children was higher with OD compared with HI (p=. 036), however this was not demonstrated in adults. Adults with low adherence patterns had higher mean scores in mental health then high (p=. 021) and moderate (p=. 068) adhering adults. Quantifying adherence and attempting to understand the relationship between adherence and QofL is an important component in the management of hemophilia.

scholarly journals Study of quality of life in epilepsy patients with psychiatric co-morbidities using QOLIE-31

2014 ◽  
Vol 01 (01) ◽  
pp. 008-015
Author(s):  
Gujjar Amruth ◽  
Praveen-kumar Srikanteswara ◽  
Boraiah Nataraju ◽  
Pandiyan Kasturi
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Asthma Control ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Control Subjects ◽  
Patients With Epilepsy ◽  
Morbid Conditions

AbstractBackground Epilepsy is a neurological condition affecting both the sexes in all age groups and is associated with psychiatric co-morbid conditions. There is a paucity of available published data regarding psychiatric co-morbid conditions and quality of life in patients with Epilepsy (PWE) from developing countries.Methods We evaluated the quality of life in 80 PWE, 80 with asthma (asthma control subjects: AC) and 80 normal healthy patients (normal control subjects: NC) using the QOLIE-31 item inventory.Results Psychiatric co-morbid conditions are more common in PWE (32.50%) as compared to the AC (17.5%) and NC (7.5%). The quality of life in PWE was significantly lower when compared to control subjects and it was further low in the presence of co-morbid psychiatric disorders.Conclusion Co-morbid psychiatric disorders should be identified and documented in PWE and treating these disorders apart from the control of seizures may significantly improve their quality of life.

Managing common adverse effects of clozapine

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Rohde ◽  
Jimmi Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Adverse Effect ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Sinus Tachycardia ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Clozapine Treatment ◽  
Clozapine Dose ◽  
Reduced Adherence

Adverse effects during clozapine treatment are common, and can be divided into very common (>10%: constipation, weight gain, metabolic side effects, sedation, and sialorrhea), common (1–10%: seizures and enuresis), and cardiac (sinus tachycardia, electrocardiogram abnormalities, and orthostatic hypotension) adverse effects. Most adverse effects are benign, but often reduce the quality of life for the patient, leading to reduced adherence and thereby psychotic relapse. As a consequence, treatment of these adverse effects is important and should not be neglected. In this chapter, we present specific treatment strategies for each adverse effect. In addition, we also emphasize that, by applying simple general managing strategies, such as reducing the clozapine dose, re-arranging the dose, or augmentation with another antipsychotic drug, many of these adverse effects can be avoided or reduced, which should reduce the need for specific rescue medications.

Current State of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for Bipolar Disorder

2020 ◽  
pp. 233-266
Author(s):  
Lisa O’Donnell ◽  
David Miklowitz
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Dialectical Behavior Therapy ◽  
Treatment Guidelines ◽  
Symptom Control ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Clinically Significant

Bipolar disorder is characterized by recurrent mood episodes and severe functional impairments. Earlier onsets of bipolar disorder are associated with a more severe course of the illness. Treatment guidelines across age groups include pharmacotherapy plus bipolar disorder–specific psychotherapies. Evidence supporting the use of adjunctive psychotherapies is strongest for long-term maintenance of bipolar disorder, including relapse prevention and restoring function and quality of life, for youths and adults with bipolar disorder. When given in combination with pharmacotherapy, family-focused treatment (FFT) and group psychoeducation (including functional remediation methods) have the strongest support among adults. Individual psychotherapies (interpersonal and social rhythm therapy [IPSRT] and cognitive-behavioral therapy [CBT]) are associated with improvements in clinical functioning similar to intensive psychoeducational or supportive therapies. For adolescent bipolar patients there is evidence for FFT and dialectical behavior therapy in stabilizing symptoms and enhancing quality of life, whereas in younger-age patients (i.e., ages 7–14), there is evidence for multifamily group formats that combine psychoeducation with CBT strategies. Finally, there is preliminary evidence that FFT, multifamily psychoeducation, and IPSRT have effects on symptom control in youths at high risk for bipolar disorder. Future research directions include identifying mechanisms of change in current psychotherapies, establishing best-practice treatments for more severe forms of bipolar disorder, examining clinically significant outcomes (e.g., suicidal behaviors, school dropout, unemployment), and developing technology-driven treatment strategies.

scholarly journals Dongaláb-specifikus életminőség-kérdőív magyar adaptációja

2018 ◽  
Vol 159 (31) ◽  
pp. 1269-1277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aliz Bohner-Beke ◽  
Anikó Kőnigné Péter ◽  
Lívia Vass ◽  
Szabolcs Halasi ◽  
János Kránicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Internal Validity ◽  
Ponseti Method ◽  
Congenital Deformity ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Specific Questionnaire ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Hungarian Version

Abstract: Introduction: Congenital structural clubfoot is the most common congenital deformity of the foot. Despite successful treatment, the affected side may present signs of athrophy, differences in length, functional maldevelopment and in some cases it may also result in pain. Although several international studies have been investigating the quality of life of individuals with clubfoot, no research has been done in Hungary. Patient-based assessment is used for the evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment and for the comparison of the traditional versus the Ponseti method. Aim: To gain permission for the use of the internationally most well-known Clubfoot Disease-Specific Instrument (hereafter: ‘Clubfoot Specific Questionnaire’) consisting of 10 items and two subscales, and furthermore, to adapt its parent and child-version for Hungary and to carry out the internal and external validity testing of the measure. Method: The Questionnaire was completed by 75 individuals (44 boys, 28 girls) belonging to three age groups (under age 12, aged 12–17.99 years and those aged above 18); the mean age was 12.45 years (range: 2–44 years). The measures used: the Hungarian version of the ‘Clubfoot Specific Questionnaire’ (adapted versions for the given age groups), and the Hungarian version of EQ-5D-3L to measure the general quality of life. Results: Both the parent- and the child-version of the ‘Clubfoot Specific Questionnaire’ showed adequate internal validity (parent-version: 0.872, child-version: 0.923); the individual items showed medium to strong correlations with the EQ-5D-3L dimensions besides the existing significant connections. Conclusion: The Hungarian adaptation of the measure proved to be successful. The validated questionnaire provides a further tool for the assessment of the quality of life of individuals with clubfoot and also for the evaluation of the success rate of therapies. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(31): 1269–1277.

Nanotechnology: its application in treating Neurodegenerative diseases

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Falaq Naz ◽  
Yasir Hasan Siddique
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Huntington Disease ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Present Review ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Treatment Level ◽  
Blood Brain

: Neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington disease are have serious concern due to its effect on the quality of life of affected persons. Neurodegenerative diseases have some limitations for both diagnostic as well as at treatment level. Introducing nanotechnology, for the treatment of these diseases may contribute significantly in solving the problem. There are several treatment strategies for the neurodegenerative diseases, but their limitations are the entry into the due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The present review highlights the application of nanotechnology during last 20 years for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Leukemia Support Groups: How Are They Doing?

1997 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 407-412
Author(s):  
Donna Corwin Moss
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Cancer Treatments ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Course Of Illness ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
Sources Of Support ◽  
Practical Impact

Background Support groups help their participants to cope with the emotional and practical impact of their illnesses. Methods The effectiveness of the Leukemia Society of America support groups in enhancing the quality of life for their participants is reviewed. The groundwork, purpose, and structure of such groups, as well as alternate sources of support, are presented. Evaluation and future directions for oncology groupwork are discussed. Results Support groups complement the therapies provided by clinical practitioners and scientists by addressing the additional needs of cancer patients over the course of illness and survival. Conclusions New concepts and methods that address the needs of specific age-groups and incorporate the newly generated data on cancer treatments will further enhance the benefits provided by support groups.

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