title: Social and clinical determinants of quality of life in Parkinson's disease in Austria: a cohort study.
abstract: Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with a reduction of health-related quality of life (HrQoL). Demographic and clinical determinants of HrQoL in PD have been previously investigated, but less is known about its social determinants. Data on HrQoL in Austrian patients with PD are not available. The objective of this cross-sectional survey was to evaluate HrQoL of Austrian patients with PD and to provide a comprehensive analysis of its social and clinical determinants. Outpatients (n = 100) with idiopathic PD were recruited in the Department of Neurology of the University Innsbruck. Clinical status was estimated using the Unified Parkison's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). HrQoL was evaluated using a generic instrument, the EuroQol (EQ5D and EQ-VAS). Independent determinants of HrQoL were assessed in multivariate regression analysis. The proportion of PD patients with moderate or severe problems in at least one dimension of the EQ5D was significantly higher than in the general population (90.1 vs. 35.1%, P < 0.001). The mean EQ-VAS score in PD was lower than in the general population (48.9 +/- 19.6 vs. 77.0 +/- 20.8, P < 0.001). Social support (number of household members) was identified as an independent social determinant of HrQoL. Demographic and clinical determinants were age, depression, UPDRS and motor fluctuations. The analysis of determinants of HrQoL showed that a greater attention should be paid to social support and home care. Our data on HrQoL in PD should be considered in the development of new health care programs.
authors: Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmannstr. 8, 35039, Marburg, Germany. yaroslav.winter@med.uni-marburg.de
authors: Yaroslav
authors: Y
authors: Winter
authors: Sonja
authors: S
authors: von Campenhausen
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Gasser
authors: Klaus
authors: K
authors: Seppi
authors: Jens-P
authors: JP
authors: Reese
authors: Karl-P
authors: KP
authors: Pfeiffer
authors: Kai
authors: K
authors: Bötzel
authors: Wolfgang H
authors: WH
authors: Oertel
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Dodel
authors: Werner
authors: W
authors: Poewe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001317:Austria; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012931:Social Environment; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires