Increasing Levels Of Disability Research Articles

Three-month treatment outcome of medication-overuse headache according to classes of overused medications, use of acute medications, and preventive treatments

Medication overuse headache (MOH) is a chronic headache disorder that results from excessive use of acutely symptomatic headache medications, leading to more frequent and severe headaches. This study aims to assess the 3-month treatment outcomes in MOH patients, focusing on the types and usage of overused medications, as well as preventive treatments. This prospective cross-sectional study analyzed the treatment outcomes of 309 MOH patients from April 2020 to March 2022. Patients were advised to discontinue overused medications immediately and offered preventive treatments based on clinical judgment. Data on headache characteristics, medication use, and impact on daily life were collected at baseline and 3 months. Results showed overall significant improvements in headache-related variables in patients completing the 3-month treatment follow-up. The median number of headache days per month decreased from 15 days at baseline to 8 days after 3 months (p < 0.001). Patients who overused multiple drug classes demonstrated increased disability levels (mean Headache Impact Test-6 score: 62 at baseline vs. 56 at 3 months, p < 0.01). Those who continued overusing medications reported more days of severe headache (mean 18 days at baseline vs. 14 days at 3 months, p < 0.05) and greater impact (mean Migraine Disability Assessment score: 35 at baseline vs. 28 after 3 months, p < 0.05) compared to the baseline. Differences in headache outcomes were evident across different preventive treatment groups, with generalized estimating equation analyses highlighting significant associations between clinical characteristics, overused medication classes, and preventive treatments. Most MOH clinical features significantly improved after 3 months of treatment. However, notable interactions were observed with certain clinical presentations, suggesting possible influences of overused medication classes, usage patterns, and preventive treatment types on MOH treatment outcomes. This study underscores the importance of individualized treatment strategies and the potential benefits of discontinuing overused medications.

Updated Perspectives on Lifestyle Interventions as Secondary Stroke Prevention Measures: A Narrative Review.

Despite being highly preventable, stroke is the second-most common cause of death and disability in the world. Secondary prevention is critical as the stroke recurrence risk is 6- to 15-fold higher than the risk of stroke in the general population. Stroke recurrence is associated with higher mortality rates and increased disability levels. Lifestyle modifications should address not single but multiple cardiovascular risk factors to effectively reduce the risk of stroke. Lifestyle modifications on a personal level should include adequate physical activity, a healthy diet, the cessation of smoking and alcohol consumption, and stress reduction. Physical activities should be performed in a healthy environment without air pollution. According to recent studies, up to 90% of strokes might be prevented by addressing and treating ten modifiable stroke risk factors, half of which are related to lifestyle modifications. These lifestyle modifications, which are behavioral interventions, could impact other modifiable risk factors such as arterial hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, diabetes, and atrial fibrillation. The most common obstacles to effective secondary stroke prevention are motor impairment, post-stroke cognitive impairment, post-stroke depression, and stroke subtype. Long-term lifestyle modifications are difficult to sustain and require comprehensive, individualized interventions. This review underlines the benefits of adhering to lifestyle modifications as the most effective secondary stroke prevention measure.

The one-year clinical course of back-related disability and the prognostic value of comorbidity among older adults with back pain in primary care.

Back pain and comorbidity are common in older adults. Comorbidity is a promising prognostic factor for the clinical course of back-related disability, but confirmatory studies assessing its prognostic value are needed. Thus, the aims of this study were to describe the clinical course of back-related disability during 1-year follow-up in patients aged ≥55 years visiting primary care (general practitioner, physiotherapist, or chiropractor) with a new episode of back pain and assess the prognostic value of comorbidity on back-related disability during 1-year follow-up. A prospective cohort study was conducted, including 452 patients. The outcome measure was Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ, range 0-24) measured at baseline and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up. The Self-Administered Comorbidity Questionnaire was used to assess comorbidity count (CC, range 0-15) and comorbidity burden (CB, range 0-45). The RMDQ scores improved from median (interquartile range) 9 (4-13) at baseline to 4 (1-9), 4 (0-9), and 3 (0-9) at 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. Using linear mixed-effects models, we found that CC and CB were independently associated with RMDQ scores. A 1-point increase in CC was associated with an increase in RMDQ score of 0.76 points (95% confidence interval [0.48-1.04]) over the follow-up year, adjusted for known prognostic factors. A 1-point increase in CB was associated with an increased RMDQ score of 0.47 points (95% confidence interval [0.33-0.61]). In conclusion, the clinical course of back-related disability for older adults presenting in primary care was favorable, and increased comorbidity was an independent prognostic factor for increased disability levels.

Leisure time activities as mediating variables in functional disability progression: An application of parallel latent growth curve modeling.

ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to investigate (1) whether and (2) the extent to which Taiwanese older adults’ leisure time activity (LTA) trajectories mediated the potential association between their sociodemographic factors and their functional disability trajectories.MethodsLongitudinal data from four waves of the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (TLSA), collected between 1996 and 2007, were used for analysis (N = 3,429). Parallel-process latent growth curve modeling was adopted to evaluate the process by which LTA mediated between sociodemographic factors (age, gender, education, self-rated health, comorbidities, and depression) and the outcome process of functional disabilities.ResultsWhen mediated by baseline level of LTA, five sociodemographic factors—age, gender, education level, self-rated health, and number of comorbidities—had significant and negative mediating effects on baseline or change in functional disability, thus improving disability outcomes. However, four of the sociodemographic factors (age, education level, and number of comorbidities), when mediated through the rate of change in LTA, were found to have significant and positive mediating effects, which increased disability levels. The proportion of effects mediated by the LTA trajectory ranged from 0% to 194%.DiscussionThe large proportion of effects mediated through the LTA process underlines the importance of LTA to public health policy and health programs for older adults. The study’s findings shed light on how to better target populations of older adults to promote an active lifestyle and achieve more successful aging in late life in Asian countries.

Disease activity, steroid use and extraintestinal manifestation are associated with increased disability in patients with inflammatory bowel disease using the inflammatory bowel disease disability index: a cross-sectional multicentre cohort study.

The inflammatory bowel disease disability index (IBD-DI) was developed recently. The aim was to translate the IBD-DI into Danish and validate it for future clinical studies and practice, and to assess the level of disability among IBD patients. The IBD-DI was translated using a transcultural adaptation method. Between January and December 2017, patients from three outpatient clinics in three different regions in Denmark were given the final version of the IBD-DI for self-completion. Validation was carried out according to guidelines. Disability level was assessed among the entire cohort and in various subgroups. A total of 200 patients were included in the study, including 112 Crohn's disease (CD) and 88 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. The response rate was 90%. The IBD-DI showed excellent reliability and validity. CD patients showed worse disability levels than UC patients [mean (SD): CD: 37.3 (20.2) vs. UC: 21.7 (16.4); P=0.04]. In both CD and UC, significantly increased disability levels were found between patients with active disease, use of steroid and extraintestinal manifestation (P<0.05). A valid and reliable version of the IBD-DI is now available in Danish for future studies. Several clinical factors are shown to affect the levels of disability among patients with CD and UC. The disability levels are significantly increased in patients with active disease, treated with systemic steroids, and extraintestinal manifestations are present in both CD and UC. Further testing of the Danish IBD-DI is needed to assess its responsiveness and interpretability.

Neurosis and marital interaction. I. Personality and symptoms.

1. A group of 6o male patients, receiving out-patient treatment for neurosis or personality disorder, together with their wives, have been examined by means of conjoint interviews supplemented by psychometric tests: the 6o couples represented 87 per cent of those approached. A control series of normal pairs were similarly examined: they represented 63 per cent of couples identified as suitable for the study. 2. The patient and control couples were found to be well-matched in a variety of back ground variables. 3. The patients' wives scored significantly higher than the control wives on clinical ratings of incapacity due to impaired health, and on the M-R section of the C.M.I.: they also had higher scores on the M.P.I.N scale and the total C.M.I. Similarly they had a significantly higher number of previous psychiatric illnesses. 4. The patient `status' of the husbands appeared to be about as important as their level of illness as a correlate of the illness among the(patients') wives. 5. The effects of duration of marriage upon the health of the patients' wives proved difficult to examine, since the most disturbed husbands appeared to be those with the shorter marriages. Nevertheless, when compared with the controls, an increasing level of disability as rated clinically was demonstrated among the patients' wives. The C.M.I. data also showed a tendency to relatively increased scores in the later years of marriage. No trends emerged for the M.P.I.N scale. 6. It was predicted from earlier studies that the interspouse correlations (i) in the early years of marriage would be lower in the patient pairs than the controls; (ii) in later years of marriage would progressively rise among the patient pairs but decline among the controls, and (iii) in the groups considered irrespective of duration of marriage, would be approximately equal. The first and third of these hypotheses were supported on most of the measures used. 7. Since early in marriage the patients' wives did not differ significantly from the controls on any measure of pathology, and since the husband-wife correlations at that time were approximately zero (or even negative) it was concluded that the study failed to confirm the assortative mating hypothesis. Conversely, the increasing differentiation of the patients' spouses from the controls on several indices of illness was considered to be more in accordance with an interactional model of pathogenesis. 8. A number of methodological problems were briefly reviewed, including the difficulties of specifying and measuring the relevant duration of any putative pathological interaction.

Effect of Coexisting Foot Deformity on Disability in Women with Knee Osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis, a common musculoskeletal disorder, can cause considerable pain and disability. This study investigates the effect of certain foot deformities on the functional status of women with knee osteoarthritis. The common foot deformities pes planus and hallux valgus were evaluated in 115 women with knee osteoarthritis and Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2 and 3 osteoarthritis. Anteroposterior and lateral foot-ankle standard radiographs were obtained bilaterally. A lateral talometatarsal angle greater than 4 degrees was defined as pes planus. A hallux valgus angle greater than 21 degrees was defined as hallux valgus. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) was used to objectively assess functional impairment. Knee pain intensity was measured with a visual analog scale. Fifty-nine patients had bilateral pes planus, hallux valgus, or both. The mean visual analog scale value was higher for the deformity group, but the difference was not statistically significant. There was a significant difference in WOMAC scores between the group with foot deformities versus the group without (P = .000). Visual analog scale scores were positively correlated with WOMAC scores (r = 0.499, P = .000). Also, there was a significant correlation between WOMAC scores and lateral talometatarsal angle (r = 0.266, P = .004) and hallux valgus angle (r = 0.362, P = .000) values. There is a significant correlation between indicators of pain and disability (visual analog scale and WOMAC scores). Also, the presence of foot deformities increased disability levels in women with knee osteoarthritis.