title: The quality of life in patients with chronic pancreatitis evaluated using the SF-12 questionnaire: a comparative study with the SF-36 questionnaire.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In clinical practice there is the need to utilise a time saving questionnaire to assess the quality of life.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To establish the validity of the SF-12 questionnaire in chronic pancreatitis patients and to identify the predictors capable of modifying the physical and mental summaries in these patients.
  SF-12 and SF-36 questionnaires were used.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and forty-one outpatients with proven chronic pancreatitis. The data of 141 sex- and age-matched Italian subjects of two normative groups (61,434 Italian subjects for SF-12 and 2031 Italian subjects for SF-36) were used as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Chronic pancreatitis patients had the SF-12 physical and mental component summaries significantly related to the SF-36 physical and mental component summaries (P<0.001). The presence of pancreatic pain and non-pancreatic surgery accounted for 41.3% in the formation of the PCS-36 score and 37.2% in that of the PCS-12 score, respectively. Gender, BMI and pancreatic pain accounted for 15.3% of the information in the formation of the MCS-36 and for 14.7% in that of the MCS-12; using these clinical variables, the loss of information in applying the SF-12 instead of the SF-36 was very low (4.1 and 0.6% for the PCS and the MCS, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SF-12 is a good alternative to the SF-36 in assessing the quality of life in chronic pancreatitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti, 9, Bologna 40138, Italy. pezzilli@aosp.bo.it
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pezzilli
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Morselli-Labate
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Frulloni
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Cavestro
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ferri
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Comparato
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gullo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Corinaldesi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D050500:Pancreatitis, Chronic; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires