title: Quality of life assessment in chronic liver disease.
abstract: The evaluation of quality of life in chronic liver disease is a crucial outcome measure of all interventions on patients. This paper presents a variety of clinical situations in which it is essential to assess quality of life: in fact, chronic liver disease ranges from asymptomatic B or C hepatitis to liver failure and transplantation. It also points out some methodological pitfalls: in particular, the choice of validated questionnaires, the use of generic instruments versus specific ones, timing of administration, choice of cross-sectional versus longitudinal studies, control of bias (selection and attrition) and other relevant methodological issues.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Epidemiologia e Biostatistica Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, Roma 00161, Italy. amele@iss.it
authors.forename: Rosalia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cirrincione
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Taliani
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Caporaso
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mele
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires