ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the modification of quality of life (QoL) and depression in a series of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient-caregiver couples during a period of 9 months and compare them to patients' ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALS-FRS). METHODS: Depression was assessed with Zung Depression Scale (ZDS) and QoL with McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (MQoL). Caregivers' burden was assessed with Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI), and patients' feeling to be a burden with the Self-Perceived Burden Scale (SPBS). RESULTS: Thirty-one ALS patient-caregiver couples were interviewed at baseline and after 9 months. The mean ALS-FRS score was 28.7 (SD 7) at baseline and 24.1 (6.9) at the second interview (p = 0.0001). Patients' mean MQoL score slightly increased from 6.8 (1.6) to 7 (1.1) (p = 0.07); their ZDS score slightly increased (43.2 [8.7] at baseline and 45.7 [9.3] at the second interview) but they remained in the not depressed range. Caregivers' mean MQoL score slightly decreased, and their mean ZDS increased from 38.9 (8.1) to 42.2 (8.7) (p = 0.02). The mean CBI score increased from 50.3 (17.6) to 55.8 (16.4) (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: We found a substantial steadiness of quality of life and depression in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis over a 9-month period, vs a significant increase of burden and depression of their caregivers.
Subject(s)
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/nursing , Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/psychology , Caregivers/psychology , Cost of Illness , Depression/psychology , Quality of Life/psychology , Adaptation, Psychological , Aged , Attitude to Death , Depression/etiology , Disability Evaluation , Disease Progression , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Using eyelid sutures, we induced axial elongation in 20 15-day-old rabbits. When the eyelid sutures were opened, the eyes revealed a slight increase in their axial length. This evident axial elongation continued to evolve despite restitution of functional integrity to the previously sutured eyes. We suspect that because the lid sutures altered visual input and inhibited the retina from maintaining control of ocular growth, the retina instigated excessive eye growth, resulting in the initial consequent axial elongation that was evident on removal of the sutures. Additionally, poor quality of the retinal image, probably resulting from the noncorrected myopic ametropia caused by the lid sutures, could be the cause of the continued axial length increase observed after the lid sutures were removed.
