title: Phantom pain and health-related quality of life in lower limb amputees.
abstract: Amputation of a limb may affect quality of life. However, little is known concerning health-related quality of life in amputees. The purposes of this study were to describe health-related quality of life in a population of lower limb amputees and to investigate potential determinants, including phantom pain. Data from 437 patients with a lower limb amputation were analyzed in this cross-sectional study. Amputation-related problems were investigated using a questionnaire. Health-related quality of life was investigated using the RAND-36 DLV. Amputees with phantom pain had a poorer health-related quality of life than amputees without phantom pain. In general, the most important amputation-specific determinants of health-related quality of life were "walking distance" and "stump pain."
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, University Hospital Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Cees P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: van der Schans
authors.forename: Jan H B
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Geertzen
authors.forename: Tanneke
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schoppen
authors.forename: Pieter U
authors.initials: PU
authors.lastname: Dijkstra
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D000674:Amputees; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010591:Phantom Limb / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011788:Quality of Life