A Comparison of EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, and SF-6D Utilities of Patients with Musculoskeletal Disorders of Different Severity: A Health-Related Quality of Life Approach.

This study compares EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, and SF-6D utilities in patients with different musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders, also differing in disease severity as defined by valid clinical indexes. Utilities were measured from a cross-sectional sample of rheumatoid arthritis (N = 114), psoriatic arthritis (N = 57), ankylosing spondylitis (N = 49), and osteopenia/osteoporosis (N = 95) patients. For the first three groups, disease activity (severity) was measured with the DAS-28, DAPSA, and BASDAI clinical indexes, respectively. Mean differences and effect sizes were measured, and agreement between utilities was estimated with the intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland−Altman plots. Higher agreement was observed between EQ-5D-5L and SF-6D, compared to EQ-5D-3L and SF-6D, in all MSK disorder groups and severity levels. In groups with moderate to high severity, agreement between EQ-5D-3L/SF-6D and EQ-5D-5L/SF-6D was between low and fair, and both EQ-5D-3L and 5L utilities were lower than SF-6D (p < 0.001). On the other hand, in remission or low activity groups, agreement was excellent, and SF-6D utilities were again typically higher than EQ-5D-3L/5L, but not significantly. In more severe patients, SF-6D generated significantly higher utilities than EQ-5D-3L and 5L, which is consistent with most previous studies. Such discrepancies could have implications on economic evaluations of interventions targeting patients with MSK disorders.

Disease activity and sleep quality in rheumatoid arthritis: a deeper look into the relationship.

Objectives: This study looks deeper into the relationship between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity and distinct dimensions of sleep quality. Methods: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was administered to a cohort of 147 RA patients. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and fatigue were measured with the SF-12 and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) instruments, respectively, whereas RA activity was determined with the Disease Activity Score 28 joints (DAS28). Ethical approval for the study and informed consent from the participants were obtained. Results: Most patients were females (78.2%), and the mean age of the entire sample was 63.7 years. Most participants (77.6%) were poor sleepers (i.e. PSQI ≥ 5) who suffered from fatigue more than good sleepers (FACIT-F: 21.6 vs. 39.3, p < 0.001). Overall sleep quality correlated, in the expected directions, with disease activity (Spearman's rho = 0.87, p < 0.001), physical health (-0.66, p < 0.001), mental health (-0.71, p < 0.001), and fatigue (0.87, p < 0.001). PSQI and its component scores differed across patient subgroups with increasing RA activity, even after adjusting for confounding variables. Conclusion: RA disease activity distinctly affects sleep quality, and given the already demonstrated importance of good sleep, this 'deeper look' might contribute to the effort to improve HRQoL in RA patients.

Are condition-specific utilities more valid than generic preference-based ones in asthma? Evidence from a study comparing EQ-5D-3L and SF-6D with AQL-5D.

BACKGROUND: Systematic discrepancies have been shown in utility values derived from different instruments. This study compares utilities from the condition-specific AQL-5D and the generic EQ-5D-3L and SF-6D in an asthmatic population with heterogeneous health-related quality of life (HRQoL), disease severity, and control status. METHODS: A consecutive sample of 104 patients diagnosed with asthma completed a survey containing the Greek versions of SF-36, EQ-5D-3L, and AQLQ(s). Treatment adequacy was assessed with the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ), and asthma severity according to Global Initiative for Asthma 2016 guidelines. Association and agreement between instruments were assessed with Spearman's correlation and Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: AQL-5D utilities exceeded (p < 0.001) those from EQ-5D-3L and SF-6D. There were weak-to-moderate correlations (<0.5) between most dimensions of AQL-5D, and those of EQ-5D-3L and SF-6D, and strong correlations between similar dimensions of EQ-5D-3L and SF-6D. Significant differences (p < 0.001) were observed throughout the visual analog scale (VAS), asthma severity and asthma control subgroups, with AQL-5D consistently higher than EQ-5D-3L and SF-6D. CONCLUSIONS: All instruments distinguished between differing degrees of asthma control, but only AQL-5D discriminated between asthma severity and HRQoL as well. Although the relatively small sample warrants caution in interpreting the subgroup results, this study contributes to the growing number of comparisons between condition-specific and generic preference-based instruments.

Children's and parents' perspectives of health-related quality of life in newly diagnosed adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

The aim of this study is to compare child and parent perceptions of health-related quality of life in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. The scoliosis-specific SRS-22 and the generic KIDSCREEN-52 were administered to newly diagnosed patients and the latter also to a parent. Strong correlations (r > 0.5, p < 0.001) were revealed between conceptually similar dimensions of the instruments. Parents' assessments of their child's HRQoL were generally higher than the children/adolescents; however score differences were small and insignificant. The significance of parents' perceptions was also confirmed with OLS regressions. In conclusion, HRQoL is thoroughly investigated when both generic and disease-specific instruments are used.

Smoking behavior among nurses in rural Greece.

Evidence suggests that rural health care providers may be at increased risk for tobacco addiction. Few researchers have studied the habitual use of tobacco in rural Greece and no published studies have examined sustained tobacco use by nurses working in these areas or their knowledge and attitudes toward smoking cessation. To explore the above, the authors conducted a questionnaire-based study in 40 health centers in rural mainland and island Greece. Two hundred twenty nurses were surveyed (65% response rate). Thirty-two percent of the nurse respondents were smokers, 54% were non-smokers, and 14% were former smokers. Only 8% of respondents had been trained to assist clients with smoking cessation.

Is bilateral orchiectomy for metastatic prostate cancer treatment associated with high cardiovascular risk?

Cardiovascular disease is one of the most common causes of death worldwide and the most usual in the western populations. Although it affects both sexes, it is more frequent in males in whom it shortens the average life expectancy. This difference has been attributed to the negative effects of testosterone; however, recent research showed that this hormone may have protective effects on the cardiovascular system. In confirmation to the above current evidence suggests that the low levels of testosterone could be associated with an increased CVD risk and with an augmentation of morbidity and mortality in males. In the present article, we present 2 cases of men with CVD and metastatic prostate cancer treated with bilateral orchiectomy who died of acute stroke during the perioperational period. The possible association of androgen deprivation with cardiovascular disease progression and the consequent risk of stroke are briefly discussed.