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Research on dystonia reported by scientists at University of Colorado
2009 AUG 25 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to a study from the United States, "Prior research has demonstrated that dystonia patients may have reductions in numerous measures of quality of life (QOL) when compared to healthy age-matched controls. However, the determinants of QOL in this patient population have not been fully specified." "To address this issue, we administered the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire along with the Visual Analogue Mood Scale (VAMS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Unified Dystonia Rating Scale (UDRS), and the State and Trait Anxiety Index (STAI) to 73 patients diagnosed with primary dystonia. Dystonia patients demonstrated lower QOL on all subscales of the SF-36 compared to normative healthy age-matched data. While the UDRS, a predominantly motor scale, was not significantly correlated with QOL (r = -0.19, P = 0.11), the BDI (r = -0.79, P< 0.0001), the STAI (r = -0.63, P< 0.0001) and multiple subscales of the VAMS revealed significant correlations. The tired subscale was the item most strongly correlated with overall QOL (r = -0.52, P< 0.0001), and particularly QOL related to physical function. The association of tiredness with QOL remained significant even when adjusting for the BDI and STAI scores (P < 0.0001). This study highlights the importance of mood and energy in QOL among a cohort of patients with dystonia," wrote A. Soeder and colleagues, University of Colorado. The researchers concluded: "Further studies will be needed to determine the effect of treatment on these associations and whether disturbances in energy are related to sleep disturbances or to primary fatigue issues.." Soeder and colleagues published their study in the Journal of Neurology (Mood and energy determinants of quality of life in dystonia. Journal of Neurology, 2009;256(6):996-1001). For more information, contact B.M. Kluger, University of Colorado, Dept. of Neurology, Academy Off 1, Mailstop B185, POB 6511, Aurora, CO 80045, USA. Publisher contact information for the Journal of Neurology is: Dr. Dietrich Steinkopff Verlag, Tiergartenstrasse 17, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany. Keywords: United States, Aurora, Dystonia, Neurology, Quality of Life, Urology, University of Colorado. This article was prepared by Life Science Weekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Life Science Weekly via NewsRx.com.
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