Mirtazapine for the Treatment of Chronic Pruritus

Background: Chronic pruritus is a debilitating condition associated with a wide range of dermatologic, systemic and psychogenic etiologies. In patients with chronic pruritus that is refractory to conventional therapy, symptoms can significantly decrease quality of life by contributing to anxiety, sleep disturbances, and in many cases depression. Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of mirtazapine in relieving chronic itch that is refractory to standard first-line therapies. Methods: We searched PubMed for English-language articles containing the words (“pruritus” or “itch”) AND “antidepressant” and then conducted a systematic review of the current literature to summarize the efficacy of mirtazapine in treating chronic itch. Results: All studies reported a reduction in itch intensity following the administration of mirtazapine. Conclusion: Collectively, these studies suggest the potential for mirtazapine to relieve chronic itch attributed to dermatological causes and malignancies. As, such mirtazapine may be an option for patients with chronic pruritus that is refractory to typical first-line treatments.

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Medications for Fatigue

Psychopharmacology in Cancer Care ◽

10.1093/med/9780197517413.003.0005 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 217-242

Author(s):

Andrew J. Roth ◽

Christian J. Nelson

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Side Effects ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Panic Attacks ◽

Cancer Related Fatigue ◽

Wide Range ◽

Significant Depression

Cancer-related fatigue is common, occurring in up to 80% of patients. Distressing fatigue can be related to psychiatric or medical causes such as significant depression, frequent intense anxiety, or panic attacks, as well as sleep disturbances, pain, and electrolyte or hormonal abnormalities. It is often caused by a wide range of medications and substances. This chapter presents the various causes of fatigue to help non-prescribing clinicians distinguish fatigue from other look-alike diagnoses such as depression and make appropriate referrals to prescribers. Identifying opportunities to supplement nonpharmacologic therapies with an activating medication can improve a patient’s quality of life and joy in living. This chapter will help all clinicians become more aware of medications used to boost energy, such as energizing antidepressants, wakefulness agents, and psychostimulants, as well as the potential side effects of these medications.

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ACTUAL OR POTENTIAL EXTENDED SERVICES PERFORMED BY MALAYSIAN COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS, PERCEPTIONS AND BARRIERS TOWARDS IT’S PERFORMANCE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽

10.22159/ijpps.2017v9i10.20694 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 13 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nazri Nordin ◽

Mohamed Azmi Ahmad Hassali ◽

Azmi Sarriff

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Medication Use ◽

Community Pharmacists ◽

Self Medication ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Right

Objective: Aims of this review were to identify actual or potential extended services performed in community pharmacy settings, perceptions among community pharmacists (CPs), general practitioners (GPs), consumers and policymakers of these extended services and barriers towards its performance.Methods: A literature review was conducted, using Google Scholar and PubMed as a searching engine.Results: Identifying eight quality full texts to review which fulfil the inclusion searching criteria, revealing a wide range of actual or potential extended services performed by CPs such as counselling on asthma, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, diabetes, smoking cessation and self-medication. GPs’ perceptions towards these extended services were varied, not or in favour of CPs to perform some actual or potential extended services. Customers were in favour of CPs to perform these actual or potential extended services whereas CPs indicated a few barriers towards the performance of these actual or potential extended services.Conclusion: As a conclusion, CPs in Malaysia were in the right position to perform the actual or potential extended services, collaborating with GPs to promote better medication use and enhance patients’ quality of life. Some barriers towards these extended services must be intervened in order to enhance the quality of the services.

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CUPPING THERAPY: A PRUDENT APPROACH IN PAIN MANAGEMENT-A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Pakistan Journal of Rehabilitation ◽

10.36283/pjr.zu.10.1/003 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 5-13

Author(s):

Hafiza Javeria ◽

Yusra Obaid ◽

Ismail Naseem

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Systematic Review ◽

English Language ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

Spinal Pain ◽

Cupping Therapy ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Group Differences ◽

Eligibility Criteria

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Cupping Therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine for treating variety of musculoskeletal disorders. Number of studies indicated the efficacy of various cupping methods in decreasing neck or back pain intensity within short duration and improves quality of life. DATABASES AND ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA The experimental studies were searched on the electronic databases including Google Scholar, PEDro, PubMed and Cochrane Library from June 2015 to December 2019. It was ensured that all articles were full-text in English language whereas screening was executed on relevant titles and abstracts, evaluated on the basis of cupping therapy and its effects on musculoskeletal pain. RESULTS A total of eight out of ten experimental studies showed significant decrease (p<0.05) in spinal pain in result of cupping therapy except for the two studies that demonstrated no significant pre-post group differences (p>0.05).

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Acupuncture for patients with chronic pruritus: protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034784 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. e034784

Author(s):

Leixiao Zhang ◽

Yanli Deng ◽

Junpeng Yao ◽

Xianjun Xiao ◽

Siyi Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Quality Index ◽

Biomedical Literature ◽

World Health ◽

Research Quality ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Quality Of Life Scale ◽

Chronic Pruritus

IntroductionChronic pruritus (CP) frequently occurs in many skin and systemic diseases, and adversely affects quality of life. This systematic review aims to evaluate treatment effects of acupuncture on CP.Methods and analysisAn electronic and manual search will be conducted for all acupuncture treatments for CP, from the inception date of predefined database up to 28 February 2020. Databases include PubMed, Embase, Springer, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trial Registration Platform, the Chinese Medicine Database, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, the China Science Journal Database and the Wanfang Database. Other sources, including existing systematic reviews, conference proceedings and reference lists of identified publications will also be searched. Additionally, any clinical randomised controlled trials related to acupuncture treatment for CP, regardless of the publication status and language limitations, will be included. Study selection, data extraction and research quality assessments will be conducted independently by two researchers. The primary outcome measures include the Visual Analogue Scale, Urdu 5D-Itch Scale or other validated scales implemented after at least 2 weeks of treatment. Secondary outcomes include the effective rate, Quality of Life Scale (eg, the EQ-5D third level, the Dermatology Life Quality Index, etc.), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, recurrence rate during the follow-up period and adverse events. If possible, meta-analyses will be performed using RevMan V.5.3 statistical software; otherwise, a descriptive analysis or subgroup analysis will be conducted. The results will be presented as the risk ratio of the binary data and the mean difference (MD) or standardised MD of the continuous data.Ethics and disseminationThis systematic review protocol does not require formal ethical approval because the data are not personalised. It will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international academic conferences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42019136727.

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Influencing Factors and Effects of Treatment on Quality of Life in Patients With Gastric Cancer—A Systematic Review

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.656929 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Sophia Kristina Rupp ◽

Andreas Stengel

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Gastric Cancer ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Well Being ◽

Treatment Method ◽

Impact Factors ◽

Social Burden ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Wide Range

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. It is associated with several disease-related impairments contributing to the psycho-social burden of those patients, such as deterioration of well-being and overall quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study is to present the wide range of factors potentially impacting patients' overall well-being and possible preventive interventions.Methods: This systematic review was conducted in October 2020 with a search in the PubMed, MedLine, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar databases. We used the keywords “gastric cancer,” “gastric neoplasm,” and each of them combined with “quality of life,” “depression,” and “anxiety” to identify all relevant articles reporting about potential impact factors influencing the overall well-being of patients suffering from gastric cancer.Results: Finally, 125,490 articles were found, of which 125,431 were excluded in several steps of screening. Inclusion criteria were studies carried out on human ≥18 years of age, studies in English or German language, clinical trials, registry-based studies, cohort studies, population-based studies, and certain titles and abstracts. After screening for eligibility 35 potential factors influencing overall well-being in patients with GC were identified and classified into 9 important categories: genetic condition, treatment method, blood markers, nutritional status, daily living, state of health, mental state, supportive care, and alternative treatment.Conclusion: Since various factors are involved in the development of patients' overall well-being, timely treatment of psycho-social impairments by physicians and psychologists is of enormous importance. Preventing psycho-social burden by improving patients' QOL should be of high importance in the treatment regimen of patients with GC.

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Duodenum-Preserving Resection of the Pancreatic Head versus Pancreaticoduodenectomy for Treatment of Chronic Pancreatitis with Enlargement of the Pancreatic Head: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2017/3565438 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Yajie Zhao ◽

Jianwei Zhang ◽

Zhongmin Lan ◽

Qinglong Jiang ◽

Shuisheng Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Chronic Pancreatitis ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Pancreatic Head ◽

Line Treatment ◽

First Line ◽

Early Postoperative Complications ◽

First Line Treatment

The results of this meta-analysis show that DPPHR should be established as first-line treatment because of lower level of severe early postoperative complications, maintenance of endocrine pancreatic functions, shortening of postoperative hospitalization time, and increase of quality of life compared to pancreaticoduodenectomy.

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Current methodological approaches to the study of sleep disturbances and quality of life in adults with cancer: a systematic review

Psycho-Oncology ◽

10.1002/pon.1079 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 401-420 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Ann M. Berger ◽

Jayashri Sankaranarayanan ◽

Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Methodological Approaches

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Quality of life in atopic dermatitis in Asian countries: a systematic review

Archives of Dermatological Research ◽

10.1007/s00403-021-02246-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jinghui Huang ◽

Yue Jia Choo ◽

Helen Elizabeth Smith ◽

Christian Apfelbacher

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Atopic Dermatitis ◽

English Language ◽

Skin Condition ◽

Asian Countries ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Asian Populations ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Impact

AbstractAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic inflammatory skin condition which impacts psychological wellbeing and social relationships. There have been studies of AD’s impact on quality of life (QoL) in Western countries, but these findings cannot be directly extrapolated to Asian populations with genetic, environmental and cultural differences. Therefore, we aimed to systematically review the literature pertaining to QoL impairment in AD in East and Southeast Asia to characterize the impact of AD on patients and their families, and to identify the factors affecting the degree of QoL impairment. A search of English language papers was conducted on MEDLINE, EMBASE, PSYCInfo, Global Health and Web of Science. Observational studies measuring QoL using single or multi-item instruments in people with self-reported or physician diagnosed atopic dermatitis were included. 27 studies from 29 articles were included and synthesized. There is data documenting QoL impairment in AD sufferers and their families, across a wide range of Asian countries, healthcare settings and ages. Aspects of QoL impacted to a greater extent included symptoms of itch, feelings of embarrassment, and sleep disturbance. Severity of disease affects the degree of impairment of QoL, but there is no apparent link between QoL impairment and patient demographic factors, or other medical factors such as age at diagnosis or duration of illness. Our findings also highlighted the need for clinicians to actively explore the impact of patient’s symptoms, especially in an Asian context where healthcare communications are traditionally doctor-centric.

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Effectiveness of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Interventions in Elderly’s Sleep Disturbances: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21186003 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (18) ◽

pp. 6003

Author(s):

Seonheui Lee ◽

Soyoung Yu

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

The Elderly ◽

Healthcare Sector ◽

Control Group ◽

Component Score ◽

Information And Communication

Sleep is a crucial factor for human health and is closely related to quality of life. Sleep disturbances constitute a health problem that should be solved, especially when it affects the elderly. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of information and communication technologies (ICT) interventions in managing sleep disturbances in the elderly. The study used a systematic review of three databases: Ovid-Medline, Ovid-EMBASE, and the Cochrane library database for papers published till 15 April 2021. Two authors independently selected and screened relevant studies based on predefined inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was carried out using Review Manager 5.4. Two authors independently screened the titles and abstracts of 4297 studies considering both inclusion and exclusion criteria. The complete texts of 47 articles were then evaluated, 31 articles were excluded, and finally, 16 articles were selected. Our meta-analysis showed that the cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) group had a significantly reduced Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) compared to the control group (−4.81 [−5.56, −4.06], p < 0.00001, I2 = 83%) in RCTs, with a significant reduction in ISI (3.47 [1.58, 5.35], p = 0.0003) found in quasi-experimental studies. A significant improvement was found in total sleep time in the CBT-I group compared to the control group (29.24 [15.41, 43.07], p <0.0001) in RCTs, while the CBT-I group showed significantly reduced wake time after sleep onset compared to the control group (−20.50 [−26.60, −14.41], p < 0.00001). In addition, a significant reduction in depression was found in the CBT-I group compared to the control group (−2.11 [−2.85, −1.37], p < 0.00001, I2 = 0%) in RCTs. The quality of life–mental component score (5.75 [1.64, 9.87], p = 0.006, I2 = 0%) and the quality of life–physical component score (5.19 [0.76, 9.62], p = 0.02, I2 = 0%) showed significant improvement in the CBT-I group compared to the control group. ICT interventions showed positive effects on sleep disturbances of the elderly, specifically confirming the positive effect on depression and quality of life as well as the indicators directly related to sleep such as ISI and quality of sleep. Thus, the application of ICT in the healthcare sector will be greater in the future, with changes in the nursing education and practice guidelines so that nurses can play a pivotal role in promoting health behaviors such as sleep-related quality of life and daily activities of the elderly.

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Conceptualisations of wellbeing and quality of life: A systematic review of participatory studies

10.31235/osf.io/rfegt ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kate Sollis ◽

Mandy Yap ◽

Paul Campbell ◽

Nicholas Biddle

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Research Policy ◽

Target Population ◽

Population Groups ◽

Participatory Techniques ◽

Wide Range ◽

The World ◽

Support Policy

There is a growing movement across the world to make better use of wellbeing measures to guide policy. This stems from the realisation that reliance on economic indicators, such as income, GDP, and unemployment, may not be adequately capturing the aspects of life that people value. But how should we be measuring wellbeing or quality of life? A mounting body of research over the past two decades has highlighted the value of participatory wellbeing frameworks, which are created by consulting with the target population and asking the question “What does wellbeing mean for you?”. However, up to now there is very little consolidated understanding of the work conducted in this space. This systematic review seeks to fill this gap, identifying 130 participatory wellbeing studies which span every region of the world and all life stages. The review identifies a wide range of theories, methods, and participatory techniques that have been utilised to develop participatory wellbeing frameworks which can be replicated for similar studies going forward. By thematically analysing understandings of wellbeing into 30 overarching areas, the findings show that communities and population groups throughout the world have wide-ranging and diverse conceptualisations of wellbeing. In sum, we highlight that while there are some similarities in what wellbeing means to people from different population groups, nuances exist within every group. Given this diverse understanding of wellbeing throughout the world, it is vital that research, policy and development initiatives take this into account. Doing so will help support policy and programs to address the aspects of life that are important to individuals, and subsequently improve the lives of people throughout the world in a more meaningful way.

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