Clinical Profile and Quality of Life of Incident Hemodialysis Patients

Hemodialysis is the most commonly used treatment modality for end stage renal disease. A 6 months observational study was conducted in the Dialysis unit of Kasturba Hospital, Manipal to study the clinical profile, quality of life with the help of KDQoL SF 36 questionnaire and factors affecting quality of life of hemodialysis patients. A total of 45 participants were included who initiated dialysis in the year 2018 and 2019 and were receiving dialysis in our hospital. Out of 45 participant 77.8% were males and 22.2% were females, the mean age was 55.29 (11.29) years. 23 patient-initiated dialysis in the year 2018 22 patients-initiated dialysis in the year 2019. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases in this population were found to be 95.2%, 35.6% and 8.9% respectively. The mean scores of the sub scales were analyzed with the help of scoring manual and descriptive statistics. In the result it was found the hemoglobin, intradialytic weight gain were found to be positively correlated with the Physical component summary (PCS) and Mental component summary (MCS). Effects of kidney disease was found to be very strongly and positively correlated with dialysis vintage. In the result of the study due to its smaller population we cannot determine more factors which were affecting the Quality of life scores.

Quality of Life of Chronic Kidney Disease Patients on haemodialysis in a tertiary care centre

Background: End-stage renal failure is a chronic disease that greatly impacts a pa?ent’s health-related quality of life mainly due to the imposed limita?ons in almost all domains of their daily lives affec?ng >10% of the general popula?on worldwide, amoun?ng to >800 million individuals. Haemodialysis consists of a complex procedure for pa?ents that requires frequent hospital or dialysis centre visits, three ?mes a week, Objec?ves: To assess Quality of life and to find an associa?on between QOL, socio-demographic factors, and clinical variables among chronic kidney disease pa?ents on haemodialysis Material and methods: The sample consisted of 89 pa?ents undergoing haemodialysis. Data was collected by a specially designed ques?onnaire (KDQOL-36) which apart from the socio-demographic and clinical variables, also included the kidney disease variables for assessing the quality of life. Results: The results indicated that haemodialysis pa?ents’ QOL was impacted by socio-demographic and clinical factors related to dialysis. The study majorly reported that these factors played a major role directly and indirectly, with social ac?vi?es affec?ng more followed by emo?onal disturbances and physical ac?vi?es. Conclusion: QOL of haemodialysis pa?ents can be improved by correctable factors like anemia, diabetes, and hypertension. Healthcare prac??oners can create personalised interven?ons that are tailored to the needs of haemodialysis pa?ents by having a deeper grasp of the variables like treatment of co-morbidi?es decrease in the number of hospitaliza?ons, be?er management of anemia and decreasing the distance between home & dialysis center.

Effects of delayed ureteral stents removal during the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life and psychological status of postoperative patients with urinary calculi / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the impacts of delayed ureteral stent removal on the quality of life (QoL) and mental health of urinary calculi postoperative patients due to the corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic.@*METHODS@#The demographic and clinical data of patients with ureteral stent placement after urinary endoscopic lithotripsy and returned to Peking University People's Hospital for stent removal from December 2019 to June 2020 were collected. Ureteral stent symptoms questionnaire (USSQ) score and the outcome 20-item self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) were collected to estimate the QoL and mental status. The USSQ consisted of 44 questions in 6 domains (including urinary symptom, physical pain, general health, work performance, sexual function, and ureteral stent related infection). For most questions in each domain, its score was a five-point Likert-type scale from 1 to 5, and a small proportion of questions was quantified by 1 to 4 or 1 to 7 scale. SAS and SDS both contained 20 questions used to assess a patient's level of anxiety and depression. Its scoring for each item was on a four-point Likert-type scale from 1 to 4. A total score (ranging from 20 to 80) was the main statistical indicator. The level of clinical anxiety and depression was quantified by using standard scores (total score multiplied by 1.25 to produce integers). And the multi-group structural equation model was constructed by analysis of moment structure (AMOS) analysis.@*RESULTS@#Overall, 71 patients were enrolled for analysis. It was found that the median duration of ureteral stent time differed significantly between the control and delayed groups for 32 (30, 33) d and 94.5 (88, 103) d, respectively. The delayed group resulted in higher scores in the USSQ multidimensional, which included urinary symptoms, general health, work performance and ureteral stent related infections. Anxiety and depression were also significantly serious in the delayed group than in the control group. A longer indwelling time of a ureteral stent could exacerbate the effects of urinary symptoms and physical pain on work performance (P=0.029 < 0.05). Among them, the patients with severe urinary symptoms leading to poor work performance were most significantly affected by prolonged ureteral stent duration time (CR=2.619>1.96).@*CONCLUSION@#Patients with delayed ureteral stent removal due to the COVID-19 had resulted in worse QoL and mental status. Stents related symptoms are more severe in patients with higher anxiety and depression degree during COVID-19. To improve the QoL and mental health of patients after urinary calculi surgery during COVID-19, it is still not recommended to prolong the stent duration time or corresponding intervention measures should be taken.

Quality of life among geriatric population: A cross-sectional study to assess the quality of life among geriatric population covered under urban health training center of a tertiary care hospital in Kancheepuram, Tamilnadu

Introduction: To assess the quality of life among geriatric population covered under urban health training center of a tertiary care hospital in Kancheepuram and to find out if there are any associated factors affecting them. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Saveetha Medical College, Chennai, India. It comprised geriatric population of males and females aged above 60 and 58 respectively. A pre tested semi structured questionnaire was used for collecting socio demographic data, whereas a WHO standard questionnaire was used to assess the QOL. Analysis was done using SPSS software. Objectives: To assess the quality of life among the geriatric age group and to assess the factors affecting the quality of life among the geriatric population. Results: Out of the 228 geriatrics interviewed, females (68.66) were found to have a better QOL when compared to males (67.85). The p values obtained from the chi square tests were found to be significant for age (0.056), marital status (0.004), family type (0.002), co morbid factors (0.001), alcoholics (0.00). Conclusion: From the study we could infer that co morbidity, marital status, type of family have a significant association with QOL.

Psychological Effect Of Chemosensory Deficits In COVID-19 Patients

Background:Mental health was broke greatly in this COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: This study aimed to detect the effect of chemosensory deficits from deadly pandemic COVID-19 on mental health. Material And Methods:A survey questionnaire was used to detect the level of psychological problems in this cross-sectional observational study in sample size of 200 COVID-19 positive patients.Result:The findings shows that there is increase in prevalence of psychological problems which affects mental health drastically like isolation, anxious, afraid of failure to recover back which hampering their quality of life.Conclusion:This study emphasizes on the importance and prevention of psychological problems as well as role of counselling & treatment.

Quality of Life (QOL) among People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) attending Tertiary Care Hospital of Delhi, India

As estimated by WHO, globally a total of 36.9 million [34.3 – 41.4 million] people were living with HIV in 2014. Quality of life (QOL) of HIV/AIDS patients is becoming an important element for understanding and assessing the overall health care and management in health care settings. The objective of this study was to determine the QOL of patients living with HIV/AIDS in Delhi. Systemic Random sampling method was used to identify the subjects from the antiretroviral therapy clinic (ART) situated in tertiary care hospital in Delhi. Methods: 200 patients were interviewed with the WHOQOL-HIV instrument. Questionnaire included items on socio-demographic data, multi-item scales and had six domains namely physical, psychological, level of independence, social relationships, environment and spirituality religion. Results: Study subjects were aged between 18-60 years with mean age of 34.46±8.76 years, and comprised of 41%females. 29 % of studied subjects were illiterate. More than 1/3rd of the patients (84% females) were unemployed and did not have any source of income. All QOL domains were observed to be higher for males in comparison to females. Single/widow patients had better QOL in comparison to married patients. QOL was observed to be better among those who were young, had better educational qualifications, were employed, asymptomatic, had shorter duration of treatment and those who stayed closer to the ART center. Conclusion: Correlation of scores of six domains with overall QOL score and among individual domains was found to be statistically significant.

The impact of primary open-angle glaucoma: Quality of life in Indian patients

Purpose: Glaucoma significantly affects the quality of life (QoL) of a patient. Despite the huge number of glaucoma patients in India, not many, QoL studies have been carried out. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the QoL in Indian patients with varying severity of glaucoma. Methods: This was a hospital-based, cross-sectional, analytical study of 180 patients. The QoL was assessed using orally administered QoL instruments comprising of two glaucoma-specific instruments; Glaucoma Quality of Life-15 (GQL-15) and Viswanathan 10 instrument, and 1 vision-specific instrument; National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (NEIVFQ25). Results: Using NEIVFQ25, the difference between mean QoL scores among cases (88.34 ± 4.53) and controls (95.32 ± 5.76) was statistically significant. In GQL-15, there was a statistically significant difference between mean scores of cases (22.58 ± 5.23) and controls (16.52 ± 1.24). The difference in mean scores with Viswanathan 10 instrument in cases (7.92 ± 0.54) and controls (9.475 ± 0.505) was also statistically significant. QoL scores also showed moderate correlation with mean deviation, pattern standard deviation, and vertical cup-disc ratio. Conclusion: In our study, all the three instruments showed decrease in QoL in glaucoma patients compared to controls. With the increase in severity of glaucoma, corresponding decrease in QoL was observed. It is important for ophthalmologists to understand about the QoL in glaucoma patients so as to have a more holistic approach to patients and for effective delivery of treatment.

Impact of treatment of depression on quality of life among diabetic patients with depression

Background: Depression is one of the commonest neuropsychiatric disorders in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Diabetes with depression is associated with a low quality of life (QoL). Complications in DM and depression still remain poorly identified and inadequately treated. But treatment of depression among DM patients is almost totally ignored and the QoL is poor. Materials and methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on 100 type 2 Diabetes mellitus patients diagnosed with clinical depression (ICD-10) at a tertiary care hospital. They were treated for depression along with DM medications and followed up till 6 months was assessed by WHO Quality Of Life (WHOQOL) – BREF scales. Results: There was a statistically significant improvement in overall WHO QOL scale from 5.96±1.23 at baseline to 6.71±1.15 at 6 months (P value < 0.001). Among various domain, the mean Physical health domain was 17.72±2.281 at baseline, which has improved to 25.56±3.367 at 6 months follow up and the mean Psychological domain score was 16.32±2.174 at baseline and has improved to 22.64±2.343 at 6 months follow up. Conclusion: QoL is a domain of major importance and it affected in patients with DM and depression. Treatment of depression in DM patients is almost ignored. In the current study, treating Sivabackiya C, Srinivasan B, Maignana Kumar, Sabari Sridhar OT, Kailash S, Shabeeba Kailash, Gopalakrishnan. Impact of treatment of depression on quality of life among diabetic patients with depression. IAIM, 2018; 5(11): 63-69. Page 64 depression in DM patients enhanced the quality of life (P value < 0.001). Hence diagnosis and treatment of depression in these patients is particularly important in order to reduce complications and improve quality of life

TENS effects on dysesthesia and quality of life after breast cancer surgery with axilectomy: randomized controlled trial / Efeitos da TENS na disestesia e qualidade de vida após cirurgia de câncer de mama com finfadenectomia axilar: estudo controlado randomizado

Abstract Introduction: After breast cancer surgery, many women may present quality of life (QOL) impairment due to the presence of discomfort as dysesthesia in the anterolateral region of the chest, armpit and/or medial part of the arm caused by intercostobrachial nerve injury (ICBN). Objective: To investigate the effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on dysesthesia intensity at the intercostobrachial nerve (ICBN) dermatome and QOL in women after breast cancer surgery. Methods: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled clinical trial was conducted. Women undergoing axillary lymphadenectomy (AL), with dysesthesia on ICBN dermatome were included. Patients were divided into active and placebo TENS groups. TENS was applied with a frequency of 100 Hz, pulse duration of 100 µs and amplitude at the highest sensory intensity tolerable for 20 minutes during 20 sessions, three times a week, on alternating days. In the placebo TENS group, electrical current was delivered only during the first 45 seconds of application. Skin sensitivity was assessed by esthesiometry. Dysesthesia intensity was assessed with a visual analogue scale (VAS) and QOL with the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the specific EORTC QLQ-BR23 which is the Breast Cancer Module. Results: VAS decreased significantly over the 20 sessions in the active TENS group (p<0.006) and no difference was found between groups. There weren't significant differences in EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-BR23 after 20 sessions or between groups. Conclusion: TENS decreased dysesthesia intensity in the ICBN dermatome after breast cancer surgery, but did not improve quality of life.

Resumo Introdução: Após cirurgia para câncer de mama, muitas mulheres podem apresentar prejuízo na qualidade de vida (QV) pela presença do desconforto como disestesia na região anterolateral do tórax, axila e/ou parte medial do braço, causada pela lesão do nervo intercostobraquial (NICB). Objetivo: Investigar os efeitos da Estimulação Elétrica Nervosa Transcutânea (TENS) na intensidade da disestesia no dermátomo do NICB e na QV após cirurgia de câncer de mama. Métodos: Ensaio clínico, controlado, randomizado, duplo-cego. Mulheres submetidas à linfadenectomia axilar (LA), com disestesia no dermátomo do NICB foram distribuídas em: TENS placebo e TENS ativo (um par de eletrodos autoadesivos) no trajeto do NICB, frequência de 100 Hz, duração de pulso de 100 µs, e amplitude no limiar sensorial máximo tolerado pela paciente, por 20 minutos, durante 20 sessões, três vezes na semana. A sensibilidade da pele foi avaliada através da estesiometria e foi considerada disestesia a partir do terceiro monofilamento (2,48 g). A intensidade da disestesia foi avaliada através da Escala Visual Analógica (EVA) e a QV com o EORTC QLQ-C30 e o EORTC QLQ-BR23. Resultados: A intensidade da disestesia diminuiu significativamente ao longo das 20 sessões no grupo TENS ativa (p<0,006), mas não houve diferença entre os grupos. Não houve diferenças significativas na QV após as 20 sessões entre os grupos. Conclusão: A TENS foi capaz de diminuir a intensidade da disestesia no dermátomo do NICB, mas não melhorou a qualidade de vida.

Study of quality of life and characteristic factors in women with breast cancer undergoing different types of therapy.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and an increasingly important issue is to evaluate quality of life (QoL) among these patients. The objective of this study was to appreciate the QoL and associated factors among breast cancer womenundergoing different types of therapy. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 166 breast cancer women from two specialized centres in Baghdad, Iraq, from February 2014 to December 2014. The questionnaire used in this study was “The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B)”. The majority were employee (60.3%), with high school education (63.2%), with no family history of cancer (79.5%). Majority were diagnosed with grade II (56.6%) and tumor size less than 2 cm in diameter (95.8%). The majority of women underwent mastectomy (98.2%), received chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and Tamoxifen therapy (89.8%, 29.5%, and 36.1%; respectively).The study found a significant difference between the quality of life among cancer patients and job, stage of cancer, size of tumor, and radiotherapy. Job, stage of cancer, size of tumor, and radiotherapy significantly influenced the women QoL. Therefore, more attention on these variables is highly recommended when dealing with breast cancer patients undergoing different types of therapy.

Rehabilitation Outcomes for Patients Receiving Intervention from a Palliative Care Team

Purpose: Approximately 30% of the patients who received intervention from a palliative care team for problematic symptoms (e.g., pain, nausea, depression) also underwent rehabilitation at our acute hospital. We investigated their changes in activities of daily living (ADLs) and outcomes (i.e., death, changing hospitals, or being discharged to their homes). Method: We retrospectively analyzed the patients’ medical records data to examine patient training content, Barthel Index (B.I.) scores, and outcomes. Results: For one year, 86 patients received rehabilitation and 42 (48%) underwent anticancer therapy. B.I. scores increased for 35% of the patients, were stable for 20%, and decreased for 45%; 95% of the patients with decreased B.I. scores could not be discharged home. Conclusion: Advanced cancer patients are likely to experience a decline in ADLs and require longer rehabilitation periods to improve. A team approach is important for preventing disuse syndromes within a palliative care setting.

Study of Health-related Quality of Life of Women and Fruits Granola / 日本補完代替医療学会誌

The purpose of this study was to examine the health-related Quality of Life (QOL) of women and the effects of “fruits granola” on women’s health. It was based on an Internet questionnaire survey on QOL (using a QOL questionnaire for women that was prepared by LSTT Co., Ltd.) of 3,460 subjects who answered questions concerning physical and mental matters. It also had 165 subjects, 108 of whom had mild constipation and 57 of whom did not, consume fruits granola freely for a period of time and then compared their QOL before and after consumption.The results of the screening survey showed significantly higher scores in all categories among women who did not have constipation than women who did. Additionally, the mental QOL score was significantly higher among women who had the habit of eating fruits granola.Moreover, the overall QOL score significantly increased after consumption of fruits granola. These results suggest that consumption of fruits granola may be effective in improving women’s QOL.

Quality of Life in Critically Ill Patients: A Systematic Review.

Objective: This paper aims to present a comprehensive literature review of Quality of Life (QOL) in patients who are suffering from serious medical illness as evidenced by receiving treatment in the intensive care setting. By examining the instruments used to measure QOL, as well as the factors that influence it, this review will explore the relevance of QOL to patient care and management. Data Sources: From Medline and other online resources, over 467 articles were identified, of which 73 articles were selected for inclusion in this review by three independent reviewers. The reviewers reached a consensus using pre-defined selection criteria. Study Selection Criteria: Articles had to: 1) be written in English or have an available published English translation, 2) be published in a peer-reviewed journal, 3) study adult humans, 4) focus on serious medical illnesses, such as sepsis and MI (myocardial infarction), rather than focusing exclusively on terminal illnesses (any study design was accepted), and 5) use at least one QOL measure. Data Extraction: The study selection process yielded 73 articles. Research methodology and key findings were derived from the full text and tables of the selected studies. Data Synthesis: QOL is very poor in gravely ill medical patients and continues to decline with further deterioration of medical status. A model that incorporates QOL and the severity of the medical illness, in addition to the patient’s wishes, might have the potential to improve overall QOL for patients and their families and guide end-of-life decisions. Conclusions: A formal assessment of the patient's QOL and final wishes could assist the patient, their loved ones, and the treating physician in making critical decisions about how to improve QOL through comfort/palliative care.

Understanding King’s Health Questionnaire (KHQ) in assessment of female urinary incontinence.

Urinary incontinence has emerged as one of the leading medical problems for the geriatric population worldwide. Women are affected physically, mentally and socially and face embarrassment, depression and isolation. Increased life expectancy further adds to the prevalence of the condition and social, economic and health care burden. Although not sinister by itself, urinary incontinence has a profound impact on a woman‟s quality of life and warrants appropriate management. The efficacy of interventional procedures is measured by the caregiver mainly by improvement in urodynamic parameters. However, these gadgets do not assess the individual's satisfaction and feeling of wellbeing following the therapeutic intervention. Several generic QoL tools have been developed in an attempt to quantify these changes. But ironically, generic QoL questionnaires lack precision when applied to subjects with specific disease condition. In the context of female urinary problems, various QoL tools have been designed and investigated. King‟s Health Questionnaire (KHQ), which was formulated as early as 1997 by the group of researchers from King‟s College Hospital London still enjoys popularity till today, because of its strong psychometric properties, ease of administration and it adds objectivity to patient‟s subjective symptoms. However, the available information about KHQ is somewhat inadequate for the novice research scholar. The following brief essay aims at easy understanding of implementation, documentation, analysis and interpretation of King‟s Health Questionnaire in research settings.

Quality of Nutrient Adequacy and Health-related Quality of life of the Rural Elderly / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: In Korea, the percentage of elderly is increasing at an unprecedented rate, and is expected to account for 40% of the population by 2060. This massive demographic change stresses the importance of research on aging as it is necessary to improve the quality of life (QoL) of this population. This study aimed to examine the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of the rural elderly and to clarify its association with the nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in S-gun, Chonbuk, a critical agricultural area. The elderly people without abnormal physical functioning composed our study population and the data were collected by personal visits to 336 elderly people aged over 65 years (110 males and 226 females). Subjects were interviewed with questionnaires pertaining to general characteristics and EuroQol (EQ-5D). Nutrient intakes were assessed two days by 24-hours recall method. Subjects were defined as high QOL group if EQ-5D index with Nam's model was above the median. RESULTS: Generally, EQ-5D index was lower in women than in man, and lower in older subjects than in younger subjects. The percentages of people below the median were 42% (low QoL group) and 58% (high QoL group) were found to be the above the median. The high QoL group had higher NAR, especially for vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and folate. All dimensions in the EQ-5D were affected by NAR of some nutrients and especially anxiety/depression dimension was significantly correlated with NAR of 5 nutrients (protein, calcium, iron, vitamin C and vitamin B1) and EQ-5D scores. CONCLUSIONS: HRQol was significantly reduced in elderly with increasing age and this was more pronounced in women than in man. The NAR of some nutrients were associated with the EQ-5D index, especially anxiety/depression dimension, among rural elderly.

Percepción del tiempo: resultados de una intervención grupal breve para el cambio del perfil temporal / Time perception: results of a brief group intervention to change time perspective profiles

La teoría de la perspectiva del tiempo de Zimbardo (1999) plantea una clasificación de las dimensiones de la orientación temporal, medidas con el Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI), la cual propone, por una parte, que si se tiene una actitud positiva y moderada hacia el pasado, el presente y el futuro, se puede desarrollar mayor bienestar y buena salud tanto mental como física, mientras que actitudes negativas o extremas reflejarían pautas de vida poco saludables. El principal objetivo de esta investigación es evaluar el efecto de una intervención grupal breve para la modificación del perfil temporal. Para este fin, se realizó un estudio cuasiexperimental con grupo control en una muestra de 28 estudiantes universitarios; 14 de ellos formaron el grupo experimental y 14 formaron el grupo control. Los resultados muestran que la intervención realizada al grupo experimental modificó la orientación temporal de los participantes hacia un perfil equilibrado. Para terminar, se concluye que, con una intervención breve y grupal que potencie un pasado positivo y un futuro y un presente más saludables, es posible lograr un perfil equilibrado. Posteriores estudios podrían evaluar el impacto de la modificación del perfil temporal en población clínica.

Zimbardo's time perspective theory (1999) provides a classification of the dimensions of time perspective, which can be measured with the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI). This inventory proposes that if people have a positive and balanced attitude toward the past, present, and future, they can develop greater well-being and good mental and physical health. A negative attitude can reflect unhealthy life patterns. The main aim of this study was to assess the effect of a brief group intervention to modify time perspective profiles. Research was conducted under a quasi-experimental design with a control group. The sample included 28 university students, 14 in the experimental group and 14 in the control group. The results show that intervention in the experimental group modified the time perspective of each participant toward a balanced time perspective profile. In conclusion, a balanced time perspective profile can be achieved with a brief group intervention that seeks to favor a positive past and a healthier present and future. Further studies should assess the impact of modifying time perspective among the clinical population.

Assessment of the Quality of Life in Autoimmune Blistering Skin Disease Patients / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune blistering skin diseases such as pemphigus vulgaris, pemphigus foliaceus, bullous pemphigoid and epidermolysis bullosa acquisita substantially affect patients' daily life and psychosocial well-being. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) in patients with autoimmune blistering diseases and to identify the factors that can influence their QOL by comparing them to healthy controls. METHODS: Forty patients with autoimmune blistering skin diseases and 40 healthy controls were interviewed using the Korean version of Skindex-29. The study assessed the clinical severity of the disease. RESULTS: The total, symptom, function, and emotion scores of Skindex-29 were significantly higher in patients with autoimmune blistering skin diseases (35.28, 40.78, 30.57, and 36.67, respectively) than in the healthy controls (6.90, 9.38, 5.47, and 6.60, respectively) (p<0.001). Higher disease severity had a negative correlation with QOL in patients with blistering skin diseases, and QOL was lower when patients had low levels of satisfaction with treatment. CONCLUSION: The results show that autoimmune blistering skin diseases can affect patients' QOL. In addition, disease severity and low satisfaction with treatment are important factors that reduce QOL. Development of new treatments should improve treatment efficacy and the QOL of patients with autoimmune blistering diseases.

Quality of life and its influencing factors of advanced schistosomiasis patients in Qingpu District,Shanghai / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To assess the quality of life(QOL)of advanced schistosomiasis patients,and understand its influenc-ing factors. Methods A questionnaire survey was carried out by using WHOQOL-BREF,and the information of demography, family,illness,health status,and health service was collected. Results Among the 217 advanced patients,the average age was (75.33±6.94)years,the ratio of male to female was 2∶5,89.86%of them were farmers,75.58%were illiterate or semi-illiterate, and 88.94%belonged to the splenomegaly type. Totally 61.29%of the cases had the scores over average for the overall QOL,but the scores for the health and well-being were lower. There were a significant difference among the average scores of different do-mains of QOL(χ2 =23.46,P<0.01). Both the year of being diagnosed and clinical classification was not associated with the scores of QOL. Regularly taking physical activities was significantly associated with each of all the 4 domains. The factors such as onset of acute disease in 2 weeks,taking therapeutic pills daily,marital status,age,etc. impacted the specific domains of QOL. The overall QOL and the 4 domains of the patients were at medium level;meanwhile,the score of physiological domain was lower than the scores of the other 3 domains. Conclusions The QOL(s)of advanced schistosomiasis patients in Qingpu District are rel-atively good. It is important to provide effective community health services and encourage the patients to take part in tempered sports or physical activities in order to keep their normal activities of daily living.

The Application of DHI Scale to Evaluation of Quality of Life in Patients with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo / 听力学及言语疾病杂志

Objective This paper attempts to explore the application of dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) in evaluation of health -related quality of life (QOL ) changes of patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) before and after the treatment with canalith repositioning procedure (CRP) .Methods The DHI was em-ployed to investigate and evaluate the dizziness handicap of 120 patients with BPPV before and after 3 months of CRP treatment (treatment group) and 60 healthy controls (control group) ,while the DHI scoring results were com-pared .Results As indicated by DHI evaluation ,the scoring of each DHI items of patients with BPPV before treatment was higher than that of control group ,treatment group before treatment :functional score 22 .60 ± 6 .54 ,emotional score 18 .50 ± 8 .28 ,physical score 17 .90 ± 5 .05 ,total composite score 59 .00 ± 14 .32 .For the control group:functional score 1 .35 ± 1 .74 ,emotional score 1 .00 ± 1 .01 ,physical score 1 .37 ± 1 .86 ,total composite score 3 .72 ± 3 .46 ,with the differ-ence statistically significant (P0 .05) .Conclusion CRP is effective to treat BPPV .The DHI is available for the evaluation of QOL of BPPV patients .