scholarly journals The Contributions of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy to the Improvement of the Quality of Life in Patients with Scapulohumeral Periarthritis

GYMNASIUM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol XXI (1) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Daniel-Lucian Dobreci ◽  
Adina Camelia Șlicaru

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate to what extent shock wave therapy (ESWT) can influence the quality of life of patients with scapular-humeral periarthritis (PSH). The study included 30 male and female PSH sufferers who had previously undergone various therapies without any success in disease progression. The VAS scale, the Roles-Maudsley score, and the Flanagan Life Quality Scale with seven points on the rating scale recommended by Andrews and Crandall were used to evaluate patient evolution. ESWT sessions were held on a seven-day session for 12 weeks. Between ESWT meetings each patient followed a home medical gymnastics program. Following the study, ESWT treatment had a good effect on the progression of PSH patients in terms of pain reduction and disappearance, as well as regaining mobility of the affected shoulder. The conclusion of this studio is that shock wave therapy can help improve the quality of life of PSH patients.

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Ferrucci ◽  
Giovanni Casazza ◽  
Luisa Angileri ◽  
Simona Tavecchio ◽  
Francesca Germiniasi ◽  
...  

Dupilumab is an anti-interleukin-4 receptor monoclonal antibody that was recently approved for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD). In this single-center retrospective study, clinical baseline data of 117 severe AD patients treated with dupilumab were collected. At baseline and at weeks 4 and 16, disease severity was assessed through the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) and quality of life through the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaire, Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (NRS-itch), and VAS-sleep. Response to dupilumab was defined as an improvement of ≥75% in EASI from baseline (EASI75). At multivariate analysis, AD onset before 18 years [OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.2–7.2; p = 0.0207] and absence of hypereosinophilia [OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.03–4.86; p = 0.0412] were identified as significant predictive parameters for response to dupilumab in terms of EASI75 at week 4 but not at week 16. Significant reductions in EASI, DLQI, POEM, HADS, NRS-itch, and VAS-sleep were found between week 4 versus baseline (p < 0.0001 for all) and week 16 versus baseline (p < 0.0001 for all). Early AD onset and absence of hypereosinophilia may be suggested as predictive markers of early response to dupilumab. We confirmed the efficacy and safety of this agent along with the improvement of life quality in severe AD patients.


1999 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 256-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bengtsson-Tops ◽  
L. Hansson

SummaryThe aims of this study were to assess the quality of life among 120 schizophrenic patients who were attending a psychiatric outpatient department and to investigate which socio-demographic and clinical factors influenced their subjective quality of life. Quality of life was assessed by the Lanchashire quality of life profile, social functioning was judged according to the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale, and psychopathology was rated by means of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Both objective and subjective life conditions indicated an impaired quality of life for the patients. The areas of finance and work had the largest proportion of dissatisfied patients. Socio-demographic indicators showed to have a weak influence on the patient's self-assessed quality of life while clinical factors, such as psychopathology, strongly influenced the patient's life satisfaction. It is concluded that there is a need for further emphasise on the clinical, financial, and social interventions for this group of patients.


Vascular ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 531-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan Luke Green ◽  
Amy Elizabeth Harwood ◽  
George Edward Smith ◽  
Tushar Das ◽  
Ali Raza ◽  
...  

Objectives Peripheral arterial disease most commonly presents as intermittent claudication (IC). Early evidence has suggested that extracorporeal shockwave therapy is efficacious in the short term for the management of intermittent claudication. The objective of this pilot trial was to evaluate the medium-term efficacy of this treatment. Methods This double-blind randomised placebo-controlled pilot trial randomised patients with unilateral intermittent claudication in a 1:1 fashion to receive extracorporeal shockwave therapy or a sham treatment for three sessions per week over three weeks. Primary outcomes were maximum walking distance and intermittent claudication distance using a fixed-load treadmill test. Secondary outcomes included pre- and post-exertional ankle-brachial pressure indices, safety and quality of life assessed using generic (SF36, EQ-5D-3L) and disease-specific (vascular quality of life) measures. All outcome measures were assessed at 12 months post-treatment. Results Thirty participants were included in the study (extracorporeal shockwave therapy, n = 15; sham, n = 15), with 26 followed up and analysed at 12 months (extracorporeal shockwave therapy, n = 13; sham, n = 13). Intragroup analysis demonstrated significant improvements in maximum walking distance, intermittent claudication distance and post-exertional ankle-brachial pressure indices ( p < 0.05) in the active treatment group, with no improvements in pre-exertional ankle-brachial pressure indices. Significant improvements in quality of life were observed in 3 out of 19 domains assessed in the active group. A re-intervention rate of 26.7% was seen in both groups. Conclusions These findings suggest that extracorporeal shockwave therapy is effective in improving walking distances at 12 months. Although this study provides important pilot data, a larger study is needed to corroborate these findings and to investigate the actions of this treatment. ISRCTN: NCT02652078.


Author(s):  
SOUGATA MUKHERJEE ◽  
CHIRANJIB BAGCHI ◽  
KINGSHUK CHATTERJEE ◽  
AVIK DAS ◽  
SANTANU KUMAR TRIPATHI

Objective: The study was planned primarily to judge the effectiveness, safety, and adherence of the prescribed treatments in dermatophytosis along with the effect on the Quality of Life (QoL) of the affected individuals. Methods: In this prospective observational study, spanning over 5 months, participants (dermatophytosis patients) were assessed at baseline and 6 week-follow-up at study site. Information about their clinical presentation, QoL (Quality of Life) parameters, medication adherence, and adverse drug reaction (ADR) were entered in the Case Report Form (CRF) prepared by utilizing global standard tools such as 5D-itch scale, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS), and WHO-ADR reporting form respectively. Results: Total 60 subjects (33 males and 27 females) had completed the study. Overall, tinea cruris (40%) was the most common variety followed by combination of tinea corporis and cruris (35%), tinea corporis (20%), and tinea incognito (3%). Pruritus was the predominant symptom. There was a significant (p<0.001) improvement of both 5D-itch & DLQI scores from baseline to follow-up stage (after 6 weeks). Treatment regimens were well tolerated (only eight subjects reported any adverse event such as gastric irritation and sedation). Medication adherence to the prescribed treatment was good; (mean MARS score 7.588±1.82). Mostly prescribed regimen was a combination of antifungal (oral plus topical) and antihistamine tablet (58/60, 96.66%). The most common drug combination was capsule itraconazole, luliconazole cream, and cetirizine or levocetirizine tablet with or without ketoconazole soap (35/60, 58.33%). Conclusion: Prescribed treatment regimen for dermatophytosis was effective, tolerable, acceptable with high medication adherence and also improved the QoL of the study subjects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-47
Author(s):  
Fereshteh Poursaeed ◽  
◽  
Nahid Tahan ◽  
Farideh Dehghan Manshadi ◽  
Ali Reza Akbarzade Bagheban ◽  
...  

Objective: Spasticity is one of the components of an Upper Motor Neuron (UMN) lesion that occurs usually after a period of flaccidity in the form of velocity-dependent resistance to passive stretch. Spasticity is a significant cause of limited mobility and disability in neurological diseases. There are several clinical approaches to control spasticity. Recently, Shock Wave Therapy (SWT) has been reported to be a new, safe, and effective method for reducing spasticity for people with upper motor neuron lesions. We conducted a meta-analysis of relevant clinical trials to assess the effect of applying SWT on spasticity in UMN lesions. Materials & Methods: An electronic search was performed in PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, MEDLINE, and Google scholar from January 2005 to January 2020. Studies were included if they measured spasticity with the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) or/and neurophysiological indices in patients with stroke, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy. The keywords of muscle hypertonia or spasticity, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy were used. Two independent researchers searched articles, screened eligible studies against the inclusion criteria, and assessed the methodological quality of included studies. The methodological quality of studies was evaluated using the Downs and Black tool. The difference between the means was considered as the effect size in the MAS and Hoffman reflex/motor response (H/M) ratio before and after the intervention with 95% CI in random-effects models. Analyzes were performed using STATA software version 11. Results: The initial search led to the retrieval of 98 studies based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, of which 24 full-text articles were reviewed and 14 articles were included in the meta-analysis process. All 14 articles had examined the effects of shockwave on the MAS. Four studies with 120 patients had examined the effects of shockwave therapy on the H/M ratio. Significant reduction in MAS grade was observed immediately [I2 = 100%, P<0.001, SMD=1.38 with 95%CI: (0.80, 1.87)] and three months after SWT [I2 = 100%, P<0.001, SMD=1.13 with 95%CI: (0.50, 1.76)] in comparison with the baseline values. ESWT had no significant effects on the H/M ratio [I2 = 97.5%, P<0.001, SMD=1.09 with 95%CI: (-0.54, 2.73)]. Conclusion: SWT can improve spasticity based on the MAS. The lack of SWT effects on the neurophysiological parameter of spasticity supports this opinion that SWT acts on the non-neural component of spasticity. Differences observed in studies in terms of treatment sessions, intervals of treatment sessions, energy density, number of shocks, and follow-up duration need to be examined more closely. More randomized clinical trials are needed in the future to analyze the impact of these factors on the efficacy of SWT for spastic patients.


2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flávio M F Xavier ◽  
Marcos P T Ferraz ◽  
Norton Marc ◽  
Norma U Escosteguy ◽  
Emílio H Moriguchi

OBJECTIVES: Senescence for some elderly people is a phase of with development and satisfaction, whereas for others is a negative stage of life. The determinants of a good quality of life in old age vary from person to person. The aims of this study were to identify: 1) the prevalence of octogenarian people who evaluate their current life as being mainly characterized by a positive quality and 2) which were the domains that they identified as being the determinants of this positive quality. A same parallel study was conducted with subjects who evaluated senescence as a preponderantly negative experience. METHODS: A random and representative sample of 35% of the octogenarian people, living residing in the community, was selected among the dwellers of the city of Veranópolis, state of Rio Grande do Sul. A semi-structured questionnaire on quality of life quality was applied as well as the scale of depressive symptoms Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the index of general health Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS). RESULTS: Slightly more than half of the studied sample (57%) defined their current quality of life with positive evaluations, whereas 18% presented a negative evaluation of it. A group 0f 25% defined their current lives as neutral or having both values (positive and negative). Those who were dissatisfied presented more health problems according to the CIRS and more depressive symptoms when evaluated by the GDS. Satisfied subjects ones had different reasons to justify this state, however, the dissatisfied had mainly the lack of health as a reason for their suffering. The main source of reported daily well-being was the involvement with rural or domestic activities. Among the interviewed, lack of health was the main source for not presenting well-being, although there was interpersonal variability regarding what each subject considered as loss of health. CONCLUSION: Possibly, for the elderly subjects a negative quality of life is equivalent to loss of health and a positive life quality is equivalent to a greater range of categories such as activity, income, social life and relationship with the family, categories which differed from subject to subject. Therefore, health seems to be a good indicator of negative quality of life, though an insufficient indicator of successful elderliness.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saida I. El-Azzab ◽  
Entisar M. Abu-Salem

Background and objective: Schizophrenia requires preservation of treatment with psychotropic medication and psycho-educational therapy. The nurse uses effective strategies to train those patients about stress management; relaxation technique and increase self-awareness, to improve their quality of life and enhance antipsychotic adherence. The study aimed to assess the effective strategies for nurses empowering the life quality and antipsychotic adherence of patients with schizophrenia.Methods: Quasi-experimental research design was utilized in this study. The present study was achieved at the outpatient departments of the Mental Hospital in Beni-Suef, Egypt. A non-probability sampling of 60 patients with schizophrenia were recruited for the study. Tools of this study included: A structured interview questionnaire related to soci-demographic data, the quality of life scale, and the medication adherence rating scale. The training program consisted of 8 sessions.Results: The study indicated that there were statistically significant improvements in the life quality and antipsychotic adherence for patients with schizophrenia after application of psychiatric nursing instructions.Conclusions and recommendations: The results of this study concluded that psychiatric nursing approaches were effective in the improvement the quality life and adherence to antipsychotic of patients with schizophrenic disorders. Recommendations: This study recommended that a psychiatric nurse must use the effective strategies for empowering the life quality and antipsychotic adherence of patients with schizophrenia.


Dermatology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 236 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Molina-Leyva ◽  
Carlos Cuenca-Barrales

Background: Patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) suffer from symptoms such as pruritus and malodour which can significantly impair their quality of life. Objectives: (1) To analyse the impact of pruritus and malodour on the quality of life of patients with HS and (2) to explore the potential association between clinical features and the severity of these symptoms. Patients and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) was used to assess pruritus and malodour. Quality of life was assessed by means of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Results: Two hundred and thirty-three patients were included in the study. Both pruritus and malodour positively correlated with worse quality of life (p < 0.05). Pruritus intensity was associated with the number of regions affected by HS, female sex, the intensity of suppuration, and the presence of comorbid Crohn’s disease. Statin use was associated with lower levels of pruritus. Malodour intensity was associated with higher body mass index, disease duration, the number of regions affected, Hurley stage, and intensity of suppuration. Conclusions: The results of our study show that pruritus and malodour are key symptoms in patients with HS which have a great impact on their quality of life. We have identified clinical features potentially associated with the intensity of these symptoms which could be useful to identify higher-risk patients and may influence treatment decisions.


2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 474-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA A. BROWN ◽  
ALEX S. COHEN

AbstractFacial emotion recognition deficits have been widely investigated in individuals with schizophrenia; however, it remains unclear whether these deficits reflect a trait-like vulnerability to schizophrenia pathology present in individuals at risk for the disorder. Although some studies have investigated emotion recognition in this population, findings have been mixed. The current study uses a well-validated emotion recognition task, a relatively large sample, and examines the relationship between emotion recognition, symptoms, and overall life quality. Eighty-nine individuals with psychometrically defined schizotypy and 27 controls completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, Penn Emotion Recognition Test, and a brief version of Lehman’s Quality of Life Interview. In addition to labeling facial emotions, participants rated the valence of faces using a Likert rating scale. Individuals with schizotypy were significantly less accurate than controls when labeling emotional faces, particularly neutral faces. Within the schizotypy sample, both disorganization symptoms and lower quality of life were associated with a bias toward perceiving facial expressions as more negative. Our results support previous research suggesting that poor emotion recognition is associated with vulnerability to psychosis. Although emotion recognition appears unrelated to symptoms, it probably operates by means of different processes in those with particular types of symptoms. (JINS, 2010, 16, 474–483.)


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Lange

Abstract OBJECTIVE Aim of this study was to investigate the effect of radial Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (rESWT) primarily on acute lumbar back pain (aLBP) and secondarily on physical function and quality of life.METHODS This randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blinded trial with 12-week follow-up (FU) randomized 63 patients with aLBP 1 : 1 into two groups receiving either rESWT (intervention) or sham rESWT (placebo) with a manipulated shockwave head not delivering any shockwaves. Both, rESWT and sham procedure were carried out eight times for 4 weeks. Both groups received additional analgesics and physiotherapy twice a week.Primary patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) was the Visual Analogue Scale for aLBP (VAS-LBP). Secondary PROMs included Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Roland & Morris Disability Questionnaire (RDQ), EuroQol EQ-5D-3L and the Beck Depression Index (BDI-II). Primary endpoint was a between-arm comparison of mean changes in VAS-LBP from baseline to final FU. RESULTS At randomization, there were no differences between the two groups in relation to age and PROMs. Both groups showed significant improvement in all PROMs at final FU. VAS-LBP declined by 60.7% (P < .001) in the intervention and by 86.4% (P < .001) in the sham group. The intervention group showed significantly less pain relief after 4 and 12 weeks. The EQ-5D submodality pain showed significantly inferior results for the intervention (1.5 (0.58)) compared to the sham group (1.1 (0.33)) (P < 0.014) after 8 weeks. No significant intergroup differences were observed for RDQ, ODI or BDI-II.CONCLUSIONS Additional rESWT alongside conventional guideline therapy in aLBP does not have any significant effects on pain intensity, physical function, or quality of life.IMPACT STATEMENT To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study with a high level of evidence reporting the efficacy of rESWT in aLBP treatment and will be a future basis for decision-making.


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