The Influence of Telemedicine and Compassionate Care on the Quality of Life and Mental Health of Patients with Epilepsy in Northeastern China During the COVID-19 Crisis

OBJECTIVEBertolotti syndrome is a rare spinal condition that causes low-back pain due to a lumbosacral transitional vertebra (LSTV), which is a pseudoarticulation between the fifth lumbar transverse process and the sacral ala. Bertolotti syndrome patients are rarely studied, particularly with regard to their quality of life. This study aimed to examine the quality of life and prior treatments in patients with Bertolotti syndrome at first presentation to the authors’ center in comparison with those with lumbosacral radiculopathy.METHODSThis study was a retrospective cohort analysis of patients with Bertolotti syndrome and lumbosacral radiculopathy due to disc herniation seen at the authors’ institution’s spine center from 2005 through 2018. Diagnoses were confirmed with provider notes and imaging. Variables collected included demographics, diagnostic history, prior treatment, patient-reported quality of life metrics, and whether or not they underwent surgery at the authors’ institution. Propensity score matching by age and sex was used to match lumbosacral radiculopathy patients to Bertolotti syndrome patients. Group comparisons were made using t-tests, Fisher’s exact test, Mann-Whitney U-tests, Cox proportional hazards models, and linear regression models where variables found to be different at the univariate level were included as covariates.RESULTSThe final cohort included 22 patients with Bertolotti syndrome who had patient-reported outcomes data available and 46 propensity score–matched patients who had confirmed radiculopathy due to disc herniation. The authors found that Bertolotti syndrome patients had significantly more prior epidural steroid injections (ESIs) and a longer time from symptom onset to their first visit. Univariate analysis showed that Bertolotti syndrome patients had significantly worse Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) mental health T-scores. Adjustment for prior ESIs and time from symptom onset revealed that Bertolotti syndrome patients also had significantly worse PROMIS physical health T-scores. Time to surgery and other quality of life metrics did not differ between groups.CONCLUSIONSPatients with Bertolotti syndrome undergo significantly longer workup and more ESIs and have worse physical and mental health scores than age- and sex-matched patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy. However, both groups of patients had mild depression and clinically meaningful reduction in their quality of life according to all instruments. This study shows that Bertolotti syndrome patients have a condition that affects them potentially more significantly than those with lumbosacral radiculopathy, and increased attention should be paid to these patients to improve their workup, diagnosis, and treatment.

Download Full-text

Features and methods of assessing health-related quality of life and cognitive functions in patients with glial tumors

Vestnik nevrologii, psihiatrii i nejrohirurgii (Bulletin of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery) ◽

10.33920/med-01-2002-06 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 47-56

Author(s):

Vera Arsenyeva ◽

Boris Martynov ◽

Gennadiy Bulyshchenko ◽

Dmitriy Svistov ◽

Boris Gaydar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related ◽

Eortc Qlq ◽

Patients With Epilepsy

Gliomas make up about 8 cases per 100,000 population and the number of patients with this disease is only increasing. There can be not only various types of neurological deficits among the symptoms, but also personal and emotional changes, that seriously affects the quality of life. The modern model of health care includes not only recovery of the patient’s physical functions, but also his or her psychosocial well-being. In particular, the assessment and study of the characteristics of health-related quality of life, as well as cognitive functions in patients with gliomas, is increasingly recognized as an important criterion when considering the effectiveness of treatment. To date, the features of health related quality of life and cognitive functions of patients with epilepsy and acute cerebral circulation disorders have been studied sufficiently, and, as a result, techniques have been developed that accurately assess the QOL and CF in patients with these diseases. These are QOLIE-31 and QOLIE-AD-48 questionnaires for patients with epilepsy. This is the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Orgogozo stroke scale (OSS), World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) scale for the clinical assessment of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) for patients with acute cerebrovascular accident. At the same time, there are no generally accepted methods for assessing quality of life and neurocognitive functions that are sensitive to changes in the condition of patients with gliomas in the early postoperative period by the time of discharge from the hospital. As a result, there is no systematic information on the dynamics of the quality of life of such patients, their neurocognitive functioning. The purpose of this article was to study the literature on QOL and CF in patients affected by neurological and neurosurgical disorders for the further selection of optimal methods for assessing dynamics of the condition of patients with glial brain tumors before and after surgery. At the moment, such requirements are only partially met by the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire and its application EORTC QLQ-BN20.

Download Full-text

Mental Health Status and Health-Related Quality of Life among Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Patients in Thailand: A Multi-Site Study

Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand ◽

10.35755/jmedassocthai.2020.11.11156 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 103 (11) ◽

pp. 1185-1193

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Health Status ◽

Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Mental Health Status ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related

Background: The systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients oftentimes suffer from both physical and psychosocial challenges that may lead to low health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, limited research has been done in this area. Objective: To examined mental health status and HRQoL among SLE patients in Thailand. Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted at the rheumatology clinic of four major hospitals in Thailand. The paper-based questionnaire consisted of demographic, health history such as depression, anxiety, stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSE), and the disease-specific Lupus Quality of Life scale (LupusQoL). Depending on the variable’s level of measurement such as categorical or continuous, Spearman’s Rho or Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficients were used to explore the relationships among the variables. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to identify the predictors of LupusQoL. Results: Among the 387 participants, many might have experienced depression, anxiety, and stress (30%, 51%, and 29%, respectively). Self-esteem among the participants was good (31.8 out of 40). All eight domains of LupusQoL were affected with intimate relationship domain being impacted the most. The overall LupusQoL was significantly associated with the number of prescribed medications (r=–0.23), depression (r=–0.70), anxiety (r=–0.58), stress (r=–0.67), and self-esteem (r=0.59), p<0.001. Significant predictors of the overall LupusQoL were mental health status (depression, anxiety, and stress) and self-esteem, F (3, 81)=43.10, p<0.001, adjusted R²=0.60. Conclusion: SLE patients should be holistically assessed in both physical and psychological aspects. In addition to proper medical treatments, healthcare providers should use a multidisciplinary team approach to resolve the patients’ psychosocial issues, which in turn, may increase the patients’ quality of life. Self-care education may be necessary to help the patients manage the condition and decrease the number of medications. Keywords: Mental health, Quality of life, SLE, Thailand

Download Full-text