Preparing a replication study.
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Data Interpretation, Statistical↗
Biomedical subjects
Christiane Kugler
Publications and source records attributed to Christiane Kugler.
Health-related quality of life in two hundred-eighty lung transplant recipients.
BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has increasingly been accepted as a supplementary outcome measure for patients after lung transplantation (LTx). METHODS: Using a retrospective cross-sectional study design, 280 LTx recipients (3 months to 14 years after LTx) were asked to assess their HRQoL using a generic (Quality of Life Profile for Chronic Diseases) questionnaire, which was previously validated for this specific population. In addition, the questionnaire was also performed by 155 healthy participants. RESULTS: All sub-scale findings ranged from 2.40 to 3.08 (0 to 4) for all patients after LTx. A significantly reduced HRQoL was reported by the sub-cohort of patients living 5 to 6 years with the allograft for all sub-scales (p < 0.006), except for Social Functioning, and was associated with the incidence of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS; p < 0.05). Cystic fibrosis patients (p < 0.05), single-lung transplant recipients (p < 0.05) and patients of older age (p < 0.05) showed significantly decreased physical ability ratings. Patients who remained free of infection and late acute rejection episodes scored themselves significantly higher with regard to their Relaxation Capabilities (p < 0.05 for rejection; p < 0.05 for infection) and Social Functioning (p < 0.01 for rejection; p < 0.05 for infection) vs patients who experienced infection or rejection episodes. Comparisons with a normative cohort showed similar HRQoL scales for LTx patients and the healthy population, except with regard to Social Functioning (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Self-ratings for HRQoL were high for all dimensions for the entire sample, and remained relatively similar even for medium- and long-term survivors. HRQoL was dependent on incidence of infections, rejections and the onset of BOS. Despite differences in life expectancy of LTx patients compared with the healthy population, HRQoL self-ratings were within similar ranges.
Adolescent↗
Nonadherence with diet and fluid restrictions among adults having hemodialysis.
PURPOSE: To describe the prevalence of nonadherence with the prescribed diet and fluid restrictions among patients receiving hemodialysis. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional design with 916 patients recruited from 18 dialysis centers in Germany and Belgium. The Dialysis Diet and Fluid Nonadherence Questionnaire (DDFQ) was used to measure patients' nonadherence. FINDINGS: The results showed that many patients had difficulty following diet (81.4%) and fluid (74.6%) restrictions. Younger male patients and smokers were at highest risk for non-adherence. Higher levels of interdialysis weight gain were associated with nonadherence. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate the need to continue to monitor and study hemodialysis patients' adherence behavior longitudinally and to design interventions to enhance adherence.
Adult↗
Quality of life 1 year after lung transplantation.
Lung transplantation is a viable therapeutic option for patients with end-stage lung disease. The focus of interest has shifted from advances in surgical techniques to improved quality of life for the transplant recipient. A prospective longitudinal repeated measures design was used to determine the impact of lung transplantation on quality of life and life satisfaction. Using 4 measurement points (before transplantation, after 8 weeks, and after 6 and 12 months), 61 patients were followed from before to 1 year after successful lung transplantation. Quality of life was measured using 2 generic (SF-36, Quality of Life Profile for Chronic Diseases) and 1 lung-specific (Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire) questionnaires. All dimensions of the health-related scores improved significantly after transplantation, except bodily pain. Patients reported the most significant improvements until 6 months after transplantation. Lung transplantation had no influence on social functioning or role emotional. The Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire ratings showed similar significantly better scores for transplant recipients at 6 months, and stagnations for most dimensions afterward.
Adult↗