scholarly journals Quality of life of patients with breast cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (82) ◽  
pp. 18-22
Author(s):  
Miljana Kuljić ◽  
Jelena Ljubomirac ◽  
Miloš Radović

Introduction: Quality of life represents the overall satisfaction or dissatisfaction with one's own life. Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women in Europe, North America and other Western countries, while its incidence is constantly increasing. Aim: The main aim of the study was to examine the quality of life of patients with breast cancer at the University Hospital Foča and the General Hospital Trebinje. Material and methods: The research was conducted on a sample of 120 patients in the University Hospital Foča and the General Hospital Trebinje from May to August 2019. The chosen study design is the cross-sectional study. A general questionnaire on the basic sociodemographic indicators of the respondents, a modified Short Questionnaire on Health Perception (Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire), a questionnaire on the quality of life SF-36v2 (Short form SF 36 ver 2) and the Beck Depression Scale (BDI) were used in the research. Results: The average value, of the maximum possible 100 points, by which patients assessed their physical component of quality of life is 55.3 points, of which physical functioning was assessed with 52.7 points, limitation due to physical health with 60.5 points, physical pain with 45.3 points and general health with 56.8 points. Beck's depression scale found that the largest number of patients with breast cancer do not have depression, 96 of them (80%), 21 patients (17.5%) have a mild form of depression, 2 patients (1.7%) have moderate depression, while only 1 patient (0,8%) has a severe form of depression. Conclusion: Patients with breast cancer had average values in the domain of the physical and mental component of quality of life. It has been determined that the majority of patients do not have depression.

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 17-23
Author(s):  
Julia Nawrot ◽  
Magdalena Humaj-Grysztar ◽  
Agnieszka Gniadek ◽  
Dorota Matuszyk ◽  
Renata Biernat

AbstractAim. The aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of life of women with pelvic organ prolapse during the postmenopausal period.Material and methodology. The study group consisted of 45 patients of the Department of Gynecology and Oncology at the University Hospital in Cracow The study was conducted as a diagnostic survey using the following survey techniques: author's questionnaire and the Short Form of Health Status Questionnaire (SF-36v2).Results. The results showed that the respondents rated their quality of life as lower than the norm set by the authors of the SF-36v2 questionnaire. A statistically significant (p<0.05) correlation between the age of the subjects and the quality of life was found.Conclusions. The quality of life of the women with the pelvic organ prolapse was low. The reason of the subjective assessment of quality of life was age. The most common symptom associated with pelvic organ prolapse was feeling the urge to urinate.


Author(s):  
Darius Kalasauskas ◽  
Naureen Keric ◽  
Salman Abu Ajaj ◽  
Leoni von Cube ◽  
Florian Ringel ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose The patients’ burden with asymptomatic meningiomas and patients with good clinical outcome after meningioma resection often remains neglected. In this study, we aimed to investigate the longitudinal changes of psychological distress and quality of life in these patient groups. Methods Patients with conservatively managed (CM) or operated (OM) meningiomas and excellent neurological status, who were screened for psychological distress during the follow-up visit (t1), were included. We performed a follow-up mail/telephone-based survey 3–6 months (t2) after t1. Distress was measured using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Distress Thermometer (DT), 36-item Short Form (SF-36), and Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI). Results Sixty-two patients participated in t1 and 47 in t2. The number of patients reporting increased or borderline values remained high 3 months after initial presentation, with n = 25 (53%) of patients reporting increased anxiety symptom severity and n = 29 (62%) reporting increased depressive symptom severity values. The proportion of distressed patients according to a DT score remained similar after 3 months. Forty-four percent of patients reported significant distress in OM and 33% in CM group. The most common problems among distressed patients were fatigue (t2 75%) and worries (t2 50%), followed by pain, sleep disturbances, sadness, and nervousness. Tumor progress was associated with increased depression scores (OR 6.3 (1.1–36.7)). Conclusion The level of psychological distress in asymptomatic meningiomas and postoperative meningiomas with excellent outcome is high. Further investigations are needed to identify and counsel the patients at risk.


2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e20657-e20657
Author(s):  
Daniela Gercovich ◽  
Pablo Lopez ◽  
Diego Bortolato ◽  
Patricia Margiolakis ◽  
Mirta Morgenfeld ◽  
...  

e20657 Background: In a previous study (Gercovich et al., 2011) we found that several dimensions of Illness Perception predicted some aspects of Quality of Life. The present study introduces Psychological Distress as a variable to assess the modulatory role it plays in the association between Illness Perception dimensions and Quality of Life in patients with breast cancer, identifying which of these two variables explain further variability in the different aspects of Quality of Life. Methods: A cohort of seventy-five patients was evaluated with the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-30). We calculated bivariate and partial correlations to evaluate the associations between the illness perception dimensions and different aspects of quality of life, controlling these associations by the psychological distress measure. Subsequently, we performed linear regression analysis to evaluate which of these two variables better explains the variability in the quality of life scores. Results: Although significant associations between subscales of perception of illness and quality of life were found, most of them lost their significance when controlled by distress. In the regression models, variables that predicted the variability in the quality of life best were psychopathological diagnostic and distress. Conclusions: According to the study results, psychological distress and psychopathological diagnostic were the two variables that better explained the variability in the quality of life. For this reason it is essential to learn more about the role these variables play on the quality of life and on the morbidity and mortality associated to them.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 205521732199604
Author(s):  
Sabina David Ruban ◽  
Claudia Christina Hilt ◽  
Thor Petersen

Background Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease leading to reduced quality of life. Objectives To investigate whether motor and cognitive fatigue impact differently on aspects of quality of life among patients with multiple sclerosis, independently from bodily disability. Methods 79 patients with multiple sclerosis from Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark were included in an observational, cross-sectional study. Each subject completed two separate questionnaires regarding fatigue (Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions and Modified Fatigue Impact Scale) and one regarding quality of life (Short Form 36). Disability was measured with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)-scores obtained from patient records. Results All fatigue scores were significantly correlated to all areas of quality of life (p < 0,05). This remained significant after adjustment for age, disease duration and EDSS-score. When looking at each type of fatigue separately, cognitive fatigue correlated mainly with mental health aspects of quality of life and motor fatigue with physical health areas of quality of life. Conclusion Increased motor and cognitive fatigue lead to a differential reduction in physical and mental quality of life, independently of bodily disability. This underlines the importance of proper assessment and treatment of fatigue among patients with multiple sclerosis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiyotaka Uchiyama ◽  
Naoki Washida ◽  
Kaori Muraoka ◽  
Kohkichi Morimoto ◽  
Takahiro Kasai ◽  
...  

Background Muscle wasting, common and progressive in uremic patients, is associated with a high probability for morbidity, lower health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and mortality. However, exercise tolerance in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate exercise capacity, its determinants, and its association with HRQOL in PD patients. Methods Outpatients treated with PD at Keio University Hospital from December 2016 to March 2018 were included in this single-center cross-sectional observational study. Exercise capacity was assessed by incremental shuttle walking test (ISWT) and handgrip and quadriceps strength. In addition to evaluation of PD-related parameters, HRQOL was assessed by the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form questionnaire. Results Among the 50 recruited PD outpatients, age and PD vintage were 63.8 ± 9.6 and 3.8 ± 2.8 years, respectively. Physical examination revealed ISWT of 312.0 ± 138.2 m, handgrip strength of 27.5 ± 6.9 kg, and quadriceps strength of 23.3 ± 10.0 kg. Multivariate analysis showed that younger age and male sex were significantly associated with higher ISWT and handgrip and quadriceps strength. Skeletal mass index (SMI) remained a significant predictor of handgrip and quadriceps strength. Moreover, only ISWT was strongly correlated with higher HRQOL scores, including physical, mental, and kidney-specific domains, even after adjustment for age and sex. Conclusions Exercise tolerance in PD patients was partially determined by age, sex, and SMI. Moreover, this is the first study to demonstrate the strong relationship between aerobic capacity and HRQOL in PD patients.


Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (10) ◽  
pp. 1113
Author(s):  
Madalina Timircan ◽  
Felix Bratosin ◽  
Iulia Vidican ◽  
Oana Suciu ◽  
Mirela Turaiche ◽  
...  

Background and Objectives: As maternal deaths associated with the SARS-CoV-2 infection remain at several times greater than the general population, significant factors that might contribute to the higher mortality and morbidity rate are the psychological impact of the disease and pregnancy itself. Therefore, the current study’s main objective was to assess how pregnant women react and cope with the stress of COVID-19 disease and how it influences their overall health and quality of life in healthcare facilities. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included 304 pregnant women who successfully completed standardized forms to assess our topics of interest, comprising of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Short Form Health Survey-12, the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory scale, the CORE-Outcome Measure Questionnaire, and the Quality from the Patient’s Perspective questionnaire. Results: Unemployed, pregnant women living in poverty in the rural areas had higher SARS-CoV-2 infection rates during pregnancy. They faced higher anxiety levels and depression rates, with associated increased physical burden and exhaustion. However, these findings are not influenced by hospital care since it remained unchanged among COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 maternity units, excepting significantly lower technical competence scores of COVID-19 facilities. Conclusions: As the pandemic’s consequences emerge and additional outbreaks occur, care must prioritize the additional physical burden experienced by pregnant women who have contracted COVID-19, as well as psychological, emotional, and mental health support.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnese Dzērvīte ◽  
Maruta Pranka ◽  
Tana Lace ◽  
Ritma Rungule ◽  
Edvins Miklasevics ◽  
...  

Summary Introduction. Health related quality of life is a much debated topic in medicine with much quantitative and qualitative research contributing to the understanding of how to improve the lives of patients, yet little has been published in relation to the quality of life of Latvian breast cancer patients. Aim of the Study. To gather base measurements of subjective and objective quality of life factors for breast cancer patients in Latvia and discover which key factors contribute most to quality of life of Latvian breast cancer patients at the start of treatment. Materials and Methods. This paper presents data collected from April 2010 to June 2011 at the Pauls Stradins Clinical University hospital on key factors influencing quality of life for breast cancer patients: health and physical well-being; state of surroundings and environment; social support and functionality; financial state, employment and leisure. Quantitative survey material has been supplemented with insight from qualitative in-depth interviews to better explain the objective and subjective implications for breast cancer patients’ quality of life. Results. Interviewed breast cancer patients rated their quality of life as being average or good at the beginning of treatment. Negative factors contributing to lowered quality of life were mainly linked to patient financial, social and emotional state at the first weeks of treatment and correspond to previous research done in Latvia on quality of life issues. Conclusions. Further follow-up surveys will contribute to the evaluation of breast cancer patients’ needs while undergoing treatment to further improve treatment strategies, especially if validated quality of life measurement surveys were to be implemented in Latvian hospitals.


Medicina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 596
Author(s):  
Greta Veličkaitė ◽  
Neringa Jucevičiūtė ◽  
Renata Balnytė ◽  
Ovidijus Laucius ◽  
Antanas Vaitkus

Background and objectives: Even though pain in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is common and possibly associated with reduced quality of life, its exact prevalence and characteristics remain vaguely understood. We aimed to estimate the true extent of pain and its associations with quality of life in Lithuanian MS patients and to compare this data with that of a control group. Materials and Methods: Data were collected prospectively at the Department of Neurology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics. A face-to-face structured interview and a questionnaire were used to collect demographic and clinical data of the MS (n = 120) and control (n = 120) groups. The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) was used to quantify disability in the MS group. Scores ≥4/10 in the Douleur Neuropathique 4 questionnaire were classified as neuropathic pain. Patients were evaluated using the anxiety and depression subsets of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-A and HADS-D), the physical and mental component subsets of the Short Form-12 questionnaire (PSC-12 and MSC-12). Results: The MS and control groups did not differ in pain prevalence (76.7% vs. 65.9%, p = 0.064) or intensity. Lhermitte sign, lower limb, and face pain were more common in the MS group, whereas subjects in the control group were more often affected by lower back, neck, and joint pain. Neuropathic pain and pain lasting longer than 2 years were more common among pain-affected MS patients than among controls. MS patients with pain had higher EDSS, HADS-D, and HADS-A and lower PSC-12 scores than those without pain; however, no difference was found regarding the duration of MS or age. Males with MS and pain had higher MSC-12 and HADS-D scores in comparison to the same subset of females. Conclusions: Pain affects approximately three out of four patients with MS in Lithuania and is negatively associated with the mental and physical aspects of quality of life.


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