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At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Quality of life in patients with prostatic carcinoma: a review and results of a study in N+ disease. Prostate-specific antigen as predictor of quality of life.

Clinical evaluation in oncology has typically focused on outcome indicators, while less attention has been paid to how treatment affects quality of life (QOL) of the patient. In this article some general aspects of quality of life are discussed, a short review of published data on QOL in patients with prostate cancer is given and results of a QOL study executed by the authors on patients with lymph node positive prostatic cancer are presented. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of immediate or delayed treatment (after objective progression) in patients with prostatic carcinoma (T1-3 N1-3 M0) on quality of life parameters. To this end an extended questionnaire was constructed. Fifty-five patients participated. Assessment was performed twice, in 1994 and 1995. The comparison between patients with and patients without treatment showed in 1994 as well as in 1995 significant differences for hormonal treatment side effects such as sexual functioning and hot flushes, all of which were experienced more frequently by treated patients. In 1994 the treated patients experienced more psychological distress while in 1995 they showed worse physical function, less energy and more fatigue when compared to patients under surveillance. The premise that active treatment would improve the psychological quality of life was not sustained. In addition global health status and quality of life were identified as independent factors for progression in untreated patients with lymph node positive prostate cancer. Finally, an increase in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in hormonally treated patients not only indicated hormonal escape but also a decrease in QOL.

Humans↗
PubMed1995

Stressful life events and cognitive functioning in late life.

To determine whether any relation exists between stressful life events and cognitive decline, 275 elderly persons living independently a) underwent cognitive tests at the ages of 70 and 76 years, and b) were interviewed at age 76 as to their recent life history, focusing on stressful events during the preceding six years. Intellectual abilities were generally found to decline between 70 and 76 years of age. During this period, two-thirds of the subjects had experienced one or more life stress situations, mostly related to health or bereavement. Contrary to the assumption that there exists a relationship between life stress and cognitive decline, our results indicated that this decline occurred regardless of stressful life experiences; the only exception was the bereavement situation (losing a spouse or child), which seemed to have a marked effect on cognitive abilities, and to which men appeared to be particularly vulnerable.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

[Life expectancy, potential years of life lost (PYLL), and avoidable mortality in an East/West comparison].

The dynamics of convergence between East and West Germany in the life-prolonging process continued undiminished from 1990 until 2001. The regional differences in premature and avoidable mortality were clearly reduced, both between East and West and between the individual federal states. In the East and in the West there was an increase in life expectancy in all age groups and for both sexes, whereby the increase in life expectancy was considerably greater in East Germany and in all of the East German federal states. Also, the standardized potential years of life lost before the age of 65 decreased more intensively in East Germany. The women in East Germany achieved a lower premature mortality due to illness in the year 2001 than those in West Germany. In the initial year of 1990, the years of life lost were 27.2% greater. Unnatural premature mortality (especially due to accidents) was also relatively high in East Germany in the year 2001, but it is clearly being reduced. The avoidable mortality has been more than cut in half in all East German federal states since 1990. An almost complete alignment between East and West in regard to avoidable mortality was achieved in the year 2001. The phase of economic stagnation that can be observed in East Germany since 1997 has up to now not led to a worsening in the constitutive health references presented above.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

[Quality of life in chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Results of a study with the newly developed Tübingen Questionnaire for measuring quality of life of patients with chronic venous insufficiency].

Across the boundaries of the medical specialties we have realized how important the concepts of quality of life and disease-related coping behavior are to understand the patients' subjective perception of the medical condition and its treatment. Although standardized instruments are already available for different medical indications and even in the related fields of peripheral vascular and cardiac diseases, phlebology still lacks standardized concepts for evaluating quality of life and/or disease-related coping behavior in patients with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). We report on a newly developed instrument specifically designed for recording quality of life in patients with CVI. It not only meets the requirements of psychometric standards, but has also proven its applicability in clinical use. The "Tübingen Questionnaire for measuring Quality of Life in patients with CVI (TLQ-CVI)" and the results of a study on quality of life in 142 patients with various stages of chronic venous insufficiency are presented. It was possible to distinguish between Stage I/II and Stage III CVI patients with respect to parameters such as "leg complaints" and "day-to-day fears and worries". These convey clinically relevant insights into the patient's subjective perception of the disease and how they cope. The information gathered provides a set of reasonable target scores for clinical studies presently being carried out at various study centers in Germany incorporating the TLQ-CVI.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2006

Lower urinary tract symptoms, urinary incontinence, sexual function and quality of life after radical prostatectomy and external beam radiation therapy: real life experience in Austria.

The objective of this study was to assess lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), urinary incontinence (UI), erectile dysfunction (ED) and quality of life after radical prostatectomy (RPE) and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in a "real-life" setting. A consecutive series of patients undergoing routine follow-up after RPE and EBRT at 28 Austrian institutions were analyzed. Men who received adjuvant therapy were excluded. All patients completed a questionnaire on (a) LUTS and UI, (b) sexual function and (c) quality of life. A total of 364 patients following RPE and 82 after EBRT entered this study and were compared in a matched pair analysis (1:1) based on age, PSA at diagnosis and follow-up (RPE: n=82; EBRT: n=82). Mean time-interval between treatment and current investigation was 4.6 years for RPE and 4.4 years for EBRT (n.s.). UI was reported by 41.3% after RPE and 18.8% after EBRT (P=0.001). Urgency was more frequent after EBRT, this difference, however, did not reach statistical significance. Moderate to severe ED (IIEF-5, <17) was present in 80.0% after RPE and in 80.8% after EBRT (n.s.). On a ten-point scale, RPE-patients rated their quality of life higher (7.3) than after EBRT (6.7) (P=0.01). In this "real-life" setting, RPE and EBRT had significant, yet divergent effects on LUTS, UI and sexual function. The respective numbers were substantially higher than those usually reported by physician-directed studies and centers of excellence.

Austria↗
PubMed1997

Effect of postchemotherapy nausea and vomiting on health-related quality of life. The Quality of Life and Symptom Control Committees of the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group.

The purpose was to measure the effects of postchemotherapy nausea and vomiting (PCNV) on health-related quality of life (HQL) in patients receiving either moderately or highly emetogenic chemotherapy. The study sample consisted of 832 chemotherapy-naive patients with cancer who received either moderately or highly emetogenic chemotherapy as part of multicenter trials of new antiemetics. The patients completed the self-report European Organization for Research and Cancer (EORTC) core Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) before chemotherapy (baseline) and 1 week (day 8) and 2-4 weeks after chemotherapy. They also completed a self-report nausea and vomiting (NV) diary for 5-7 days after chemotherapy. To determine the effects of PCNV on HQL, the change in scores between the baseline and day 8 HQL assessments was calculated for each domain and symptom in the QLQ-C30 and compared in four subgroups of patients: those with both nausea and vomiting, those with nausea but no vomiting, those with no nausea but with vomiting, and those with neither nausea nor vomiting. The group with both nausea and vomiting showed statistically significantly worse physical, cognitive and social functioning, global quality of life, fatigue, anorexia, insomnia and dyspnea as compared to the group with neither nausea nor vomiting (0.0001 < P < 0.05). Patients with only nausea but no vomiting tended to have less worsening in functioning and symptoms than those having both nausea and vomiting. Increased severity of vomiting (> 2 episodes) was associated with worsening of only global quality of life and anorexia as compared with 1-2 episodes of vomiting (0.0001 < P < 0.01). By 2-4 weeks after chemotherapy all HQL scores had either returned to their baseline levels or were better than baseline. PCNV adversely affects several quality-of-life domains, but patients with only nausea experience less disruption than do those with both nausea and vomiting. Patients with 1-2 episodes of vomiting experience almost the same degree of disruption of HQL as do patients with more than 2 episodes of vomiting.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2005

Effect of ankylosing spondylitis on health-related quality of life and different aspects of social life in young patients.

The aim of this study was to determine the emotional and sociodemographic characteristics of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to investigate the impact of the disease on their social life and quality of life (QOL). This study included 101 patients with the diagnosis of AS. All patients filled in a questionnaire comprising their sociodemographic and emotional status and their self-rating on the disease and completed the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). The impact of the disease on work status, sexuality, and family relations was measured on a Likert scale. The impact of the disease on employment, family and sexual relations, work life as well as SF-36 was investigated. Therefore, the effect of educational level, employment, social security, and sexual relations with spouse, etc. on QOL were assessed. More than half of the patients had no knowledge about the disease and half of them were not under a physician's control. Thirty-two percent of the previously working patients quit their jobs because of the disease. Quitting a job due to the disease was more frequent in the first 10 years of the disease. The most affected domains of the SF-36 were physical role power, general health, and pain. Patients unemployed due to the disease had lower SF-36 scores compared with employed ones. Unemployed patients without social insurance had lower values on SF-36 subscales (p<0.05). A higher education level had positive influences on disease impact. The level of anxiety was high and was associated with sexual relations (p<0.05). Our results show that the disease affects patients' work and social life. Work disability affects QOL. Educating the patients about the disease may play an important role in improving his/her life quality and coping with the disease. Thus, the socioeconomic burden of the disease on the person and on society can be diminished.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

A comparative evaluation of quality of life and life satisfaction in patients with psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis.

Both rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have a negative impact on patients' quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study was to compare QOL and life satisfaction in patients with RA and PsA. Forty patients with PsA, 40 patients with RA, and 40 healthy control subjects were included in the study. Demographic data and clinical characteristics including age, sex, disease duration, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), peripheral pain assessed by visual analog scale (VAS) and Larsen scores of hand X-rays were recorded. Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) was used to evaluate QOL, and Life satisfaction index (LSI) was used to measure psychological well-being in both groups. The demographic data of the subjects were similar between the groups. The scores of all NHP subscales were significantly higher and the scores of LSI were significantly lower in PsA and RA patients than in control subjects. The inflammation markers including ESR, CRP, pain by VAS and Larsen scores were found to be significantly higher in RA patients. The scores of LSI were similar between the groups. Although the scores of physical domains of NHP (pain and physical disability) were statistically higher in RA patients (p<0.05), the scores of psychosocial subgroups of NHP were similar between RA and PsA patients (p>0.05). Both PsA and RA patients had disturbed QOL and decreased life satisfaction. In conclusion, peripheral joint damage, inflammation, and physical disability are significantly greater in RA but psychosocial reflection of QOL and life satisfaction are the same for both groups which can be explained by the additional impact of skin disease in patients with PsA.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Domains of life satisfaction among patients living with HIV: A factor analytic study of the quality of life inventory.

This study sought to identify multidimensional factors of life satisfaction in individuals with HIV through a factor analysis of the Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI), and to examine the relationship of these factors to health-related quality of life, depression, and medication adherence. Four quality of life domains emerged: Achievement, Self-Expression, Environment, and Interpersonal Relationships. QOLI means were substantially lower than the normative means and were significantly related to the SF-12 mental (but not the physical) component summary. Multidimensional assessments of quality of life in HIV may help specify targets sensitive to psychosocial interventions.

Achievement↗
PubMed1993

Assessment of quality of life as observed from the baseline data of the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) trial quality-of-life substudy.

The improvement of aspects of a patient's quality of life may be as important as prolonging survival in evaluating clinical trials of heart failure. The purpose of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the baseline measures from the quality-of-life substudy from the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) trial. The measures included the 6-Minute Walk Test, Dyspnea Scale, Living with Heart Failure, Physical Limitations, Psychologic Distress and Health Perceptions, as reported by both patients and staff. Cognitive functioning, such as Vocabulary, Digit Span and Trails Making, was also assessed. Patients were classified as New York Heart Association class I (n = 158) versus II or III (n = 150). The internal consistencies (i.e., reliabilities) of the self-report measures were high, except for the Health Perceptions of Class II or III patients. Reliability of the SOLVD quality-of-life battery was confirmed by significantly better life quality among New York Heart Association class I patients versus class II or III patients combined on the Walk Test, Physical Limitations, Dyspnea, Living with Heart Failure, Psychologic Distress and staff perceptions of patient health. In accordance with prior studies, the measures were uncorrelated with left ventricular ejection fraction. By demonstrating strong internal consistencies, reliability based on physician reports, and independence of ejection fraction levels, use of this quality-of-life assessment battery in this and other clinical trials of compromised ventricular functioning is supported.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1985

Social support and stressful life events during mid-life.

Life events have been shown to produce psychological distress in women during mid-life. It has been argued that social relationships may modify the detrimental effects of life events and/or have a direct influence on psychological well-being. This paper examined the influence of eight social relationship variables on 'psychological' and 'somatic' distress in a general population sample of women at mid-life. Several of the social relationship variables were shown to be important. The availability of individuals in whom the subject could confide was of particular importance. It is argued that the results confirm the importance of psychosocial factors in producing psychological distress during mid-life.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The EORTC QLQ-LC13: a modular supplement to the EORTC Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) for use in lung cancer clinical trials. EORTC Study Group on Quality of Life.

The EORTC Study Group on Quality of Life has developed a modular system for assessing the quality of life of cancer patients in clinical trials composed of two basic elements: (1) a core quality of life questionnaire, the EORTC QLQ-C30, covering general aspects of health-related quality of life, and (2) additional disease- or treatment-specific questionnaire modules. Two international field studies were carried out to evaluate the practicality, reliability and validity of the core questionnaire, supplemented by a 13-item lung cancer-specific questionnaire module, the EORTC QLQ-LC13. In this paper, the results of an evaluation of the QLQ-LC13 are reported. The lung cancer questionnaire module comprises both multi-item and single-item measures of lung cancer-associated symptoms (i.e. coughing, haemoptysis, dyspnoea and pain) and side-effects from conventional chemo- and radiotherapy (i.e. hair loss, neuropathy, sore mouth and dysphagia). It was administered to patients with non-resectable lung cancer recruited from 17 countries. In total, 883 and 735 patients, respectively, completed the questionnaire prior to and once during treatment. The symptom measures discriminated clearly between patients differing in performance status. All item scores changed significantly in the expected direction (i.e. lung cancer symptoms decreased and treatment toxicities increased) during treatment. With one exception (problems with a sore mouth), the change of toxicity measures over time was related specifically to either chemo- or radiotherapy. However, the single item on neuropathy did not measure adequately the full range of symptoms. The hypothesised scale structure of the questionnaire was partially supported by the data. The multi-item dyspnoea scale met the minimal standards for reliability (Cronbach alpha coefficient > 0.70), while the pain items did not form a scale with reliability estimates acceptable for group comparisons. In conclusion, the results form international field testing lend support to the EORTC QLQ-LC13 as a clinically valid and useful tool for assessing disease- and treatment-specific symptoms in lung cancer patients participating in clinical trials, when combined with the EORTC core quality of life questionnaire. In a few areas, however, the questionnaire module could benefit from further refinements. In addition, its performance over a longer period of time still needs to be investigated.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Personality--life event congruence effects in late-life depression.

BACKGROUND: This study examined whether specific interactions of personality and life events predicted increases in depressive symptoms over time in a late-life sample. METHOD: Participants (n=55) who were in remission from a recent episode of major depression completed a depression symptom interview and a questionnaire assessing the personality constructs sociotropy and autonomy. Six months later, they completed the same personality questionnaire and a checklist of life events experienced during the past 6 months. RESULTS: As predicted, increases in depressive symptoms were significantly predicted by the congruent interaction of sociotropy with negative interpersonal events and by the congruent interaction of autonomy with negative autonomy events, but not by either of the non-congruent interactions. LIMITATIONS: A small sample prevented examinations of important depressive subtypes based on age of depression onset and vascular status. CONCLUSIONS: These findings strongly support the personality-life event congruence model of depression in a late-life sample. Clinical implications include attending to stressful events that match an older adult's personality style, to help the older adult cope with those events that are more likely to increase his or her depression.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed2006

Drugs used to alleviate symptoms with life shortening as a possible side effect: end-of-life care in six European countries.

We investigated the drugs used in the alleviation of pain and symptoms (APS) with a possible life-shortening side effect in six European countries' end-of-life care. We sent mail questionnaires to physicians who signed a representative sample of death certificates in each country. APS with a possible life-shortening effect occurred from 19% of all deaths in Italy to 26% in Denmark. Physicians usually administered opioids (from 76% of APS cases in Italy to 96% in The Netherlands), but the type of opioids and administration practice differed markedly between countries. The doses of opioids given in the last 24 hours also varied significantly and were usually lower than 300 mg oral morphine equivalent (from 83% of cases in Belgium to 93% in Sweden). The highly variable results bring into question whether existing guidelines for pain relief were applied appropriately and to what extent unfounded concerns about the possible life-shortening effect of opioids resulted in less than optimal symptom management in end-of-life care.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Alternative medicine and allergies: life satisfaction, health locus of control and quality of life.

OBJECTIVES: Little is known on psychosocial characteristics of subjects with allergies who use or do not use alternative medicine (AM). We aimed to assess health-related quality of life (QoL), life satisfaction and health locus of control of adults with allergies and to compare users and nonusers of AM in a population-based setting. METHODS: In a population-based nested case control study, computer-assisted telephone interviews were performed in subjects (n=351, age median 46 years, response 76.1%) who had reported allergies (hay fever, asthma, atopic eczema and food hypersensitivity) in a previous survey. Questions on health-related QoL and evaluated instruments measuring life satisfaction ("Questions on Life Satisfaction" (FLZ(M))) and health locus of control ("Fragebogen zur Erhebung von Kontrollüberzeugungen zu Krankheit und Gesundheit" (KKG)) were applied. RESULTS: A total of 93 subjects (26.6%), who were younger and better educated than the remaining participants (n=257), reported experiences with AM. General and health-related life satisfaction was not statistically different between users (71.5 and 71.6) and nonusers (68.5 and 67.0) of AM. Nonusers scored significantly higher for fatalistic externality (21.6) than users (19.0) of AM (P=.005, adjusted age, gender and school education). The impact on overall health-related QoL was significantly higher for users (11.7) than nonusers (10.3) of AM. This difference was also significant for the domains "physical," "psychological," "friends and family" and "leisure activities" (adjusted P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Users and nonusers of AM with allergies can be distinguished by psychosocial characteristics such as health locus of control and QoL.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Quality of life at the end of life: trends in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the rates of decline in health-related quality of life during the year before death in men with prostate cancer. METHODS: We studied men in a subset analysis within a longitudinal, observational cohort of patients with metastatic prostate cancer at the University of California, Los Angeles, Center for Health Sciences. The analysis included 23 patients who died and had submitted at least two health-related quality-of-life surveys in the final months before death. The outcomes were measured with the RAND 36-Item Health Survey, an established, validated instrument that includes physical and emotional domains. To gauge the effect of marital status, education, and income, we dichotomized these demographic variables. RESULTS: Most domains showed declines, many of them substantial. Patients who had a slower rate of decline in the physical domains tended to be married, better educated, and more affluent. We noted a trend toward a slower deterioration in the mental composite scores among patients who had less than a college degree and an annual household income of $30,000 or less. CONCLUSIONS: Patients dying of metastatic prostate cancer appear to experience declines in health-related quality of life during their final year of life. Further investigation may help identify specific patient characteristics associated with more rapid declines; this will help focus attention on enhancing patients' quality of life as death approaches.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Double-masked comparison of the quality of life of hypercholesterolemic men treated with simvastatin or pravastatin. International Quality of Life Multicenter Group.

The efficacy, safety, and impact on quality of life of once-daily treatment with simvastatin 20 mg and pravastatin 40 mg were compared in a multinational, randomized, double-masked trial involving 387 men 21 to 72 years of age with primary mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia. The trial consisted of a 12-week baseline period, which included 6 weeks of single-masked placebo administration, and a 12-week double-masked active treatment period. Throughout the trial, patients were maintained on a standard lipid-lowering diet. Efficacy variables were plasma lipid levels and a measurement of health-related quality of life evaluated by means of a self-administered questionnaire (the Nottingham Health Profile [NHP]) and other questionnaires related to general health, sexual function, and stress/life events. Clinic visits were scheduled at study entry (week -12), at initiation and week 5 of placebo (weeks -6 and -1, respectively); at randomization (week 1, day 1); and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of active treatment. At each visit, blood samples were collected for determination of lipid levels and the NHP, the principal measure of health-related quality of life, was administered. Primary safety measures were adverse events and laboratory test results. All statistical comparisons were two-sided, and significance was defined as P< or =0.05 except for the NHP questionnaire, which was P< or =0.01. Treatment with simvastatin 20 mg/d for 12 weeks (n = 194) resulted in significantly greater reductions in plasma total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (25.7% and 33.6%, respectively) compared with pravastatin 40 mg/d for 12 weeks (n = 193) (19.0% and 26.3%, respectively) (P<0.001). No detrimental effects on health-related quality-of-life measurements were reported with either drug. A small but statistically significant improvement in emotional reaction from baseline (P<0.001) was observed after 12 weeks of treatment with simvastatin. At least 75% of simvastatin-treated patients indicated no change in response from baseline on NHP domain scores; these findings were similar to those for pravastatin-treated patients. The differences in the changes in lipid profiles between the 2 treatment groups were not associated with any observed differences in tolerability or health-related quality-of-life measures.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

"PALS for life!" A required trauma-oriented pediatric advanced life support course for pediatric and emergency medicine housestaff.

While advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and advanced trauma life support (ATLS) courses have become accepted standards for physicians who care for the critically ill and injured patient, only recently have pediatric advanced life support (PALS) courses been developed. The American Academy of Pediatrics has shown renewed interest in pediatric cardiopulmonary arrest after impressive gains made in adult resuscitation. The American Heart Association filled a void by including new chapters on Pediatric and Neonatal Resuscitation in the Textbook of Advanced Cardiac Life Support, 1981. A joint committee of AHA and AAP is seeking to unify course objectives and materials for standard curriculum. Because trauma is the most common cause of death and disability in children, pediatric trauma life support measures should be incorporated into any program directed toward emergency physicians and pediatricians who function in an emergency department or rural primary care setting. The Department of Pediatrics and Surgery and its division of Emergency Medicine has developed and implemented a PALS curriculum which is different from most other programs in that emphasis has been placed on pediatric trauma in addition to traditional cardiac (ACLS) resuscitation. This 20-hour program combines a modified ACLS curriculum with specific pediatric trauma lectures and laboratory sessions. It includes a canine surgical procedure lab and modified ATLS skill stations. At the completion of the course, students are eligible for ACLS certification. In the two years in which the course was given, 39 pediatric houseofficers were enrolled in the course.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Child↗