Quality of life and well-being of patients with myasthenia gravis.
The cardinal symptom of myasthenia gravis (MG) is weakness of voluntary muscles, a feature that may restrict full participation in life activities. In turn, such limitations may negatively affect quality of life (QOL) and well-being among individuals with the disease. In the present study, we administered a measure of QOL to 27 patients with generalized MG. Results revealed that functional status was negatively impacted in the domains of physical functioning, energy, and general health. However, a clinically meaningful difference was evident only on perceived ability to accomplish physical tasks. The results suggest that although MG requires accommodations in physical activities, general QOL and well-being does not differ markedly from the general population.
Paul
R H
RH
Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neuropsychology, Miriam Hospital, Brown University School of Medicine, 164 Summit Ave., Room 328, Providence, Rhode Island 02906, USA. RPaul@lifespan.org
Nash
J M
JM
Cohen
R A
RA
Gilchrist
J M
JM
Goldstein
J M
JM
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index