Abstract
ObjectivesGeneric and disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instruments may reflect different aspects of lives in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and thus be associated with different determinants. We used the same cluster of predictors for the generic and disease-specific HRQoL instruments to examine and compare the determinants of HRQoL.MethodHRQoL was measured in 92 patients with PD by the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). The predictors included demographic and disease characteristics, and motor and non-motor symptoms. Multiple regression analyses were used to identify HRQoL determinants.ResultsDepressive symptoms and motor difficulties of daily living were the first two significant determinants for both instruments. The other significant determinant for the SF-36 was fatigue and non-motor difficulties of daily living, and for the PDQ-39 was motor signs of PD.ConclusionsThe results suggest the importance of the evaluation and intervention focused on depressive symptoms and motor difficulties of daily living in patients with PD. In addition, the SF-36 seems more related to non-motor symptoms, while the PDQ-39 appears more associated with motor symptoms. This information is important for understanding results from these two instruments and for choosing which to use.
Highlights
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common age-related neurodegenerative disorders [1, 2]
The results suggest the importance of the evaluation and intervention focused on depressive symptoms and motor difficulties of daily living in patients with PD
The SF-36 seems more related to non-motor symptoms, while the PDQ-39 appears more associated with motor symptoms
Summary
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common age-related neurodegenerative disorders [1, 2]. The effects of disease can be evaluated at different domains and levels, from symptom-specific impairments of everyday functions to overall health-related quality of life (HRQoL) [1, 3]. The instruments used to measure the effects of a disease are important for guiding the development of treatment plans as well as for measuring improvements caused by interventions. With the rising awareness of client-centered practice, HRQoL measures have become essential for evaluating patients’ subjective well-being and overall health [6, 7]. Examining the determinants of HRQoL, usually at the symptom and function levels, provides critical information for setting priorities during the treatment planning stage and for reflecting changes important to patients in the outcome evaluation phase [1, 7]. Given that the effects of PD are multi-dimensional and widely varied, different HRQoL measures for the same group of patients might be associated with different determinants
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