title: Variables influencing quality of life and disability in Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) patients: Italian multicentre study.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the variables that influence quality of life (QoL) and disability in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). We performed a prospective multicentre study using validated clinical disability and QoL measurements. Multivariate analysis was performed using QoL as a dependent variable and duration of symptoms, age, gender and CMT type, depression and disability measurements as independent variables. We enrolled 211 patients. QoL was highly significantly deteriorated with respect to the Italian normative sample. The physical aspect of QoL was mainly related to disability but it does not increase with the age, probably because of an adaptation between expectation and reality. The mental QoL is influenced by depression (hence we have to consider this aspect approaching CMT patients). Moreover, we observed that women complained of more severe symptoms than men. Finally, some CMT subtypes are related to more severe bodily pain symptoms than others. Multiperspective assessment of CMT showed new aspects of this disease, mainly regarding (1) differences between men and women and (2) the crucial role of pain and depression.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, Università Cattolica, L.go F. Vito 1, I-00168, Rome, Italy. lpadua@rm.unicatt.it
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Padua
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Aprile
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cavallaro
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Commodari
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: La Torre
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pareyson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quattrone
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rizzuto
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vita
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tonali
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schenone
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002607:Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012727:Sex Characteristics