Symptom burden in hospitalized patients with cancer in kuwait and the need for palliative care.
We conducted this study to describe the symptom burden among hospitalized patients with cancer in a Kuwaiti cancer center. Twenty physical symptoms were assessed in 45 patients with cancer. The majority (82%) of patients had an advanced incurable cancer and 42% were receiving best supportive care only. The median number of symptoms per patient was 6.4 ± 2.8. The most common symptoms were pain (82%), weakness/fatigue (80%), anorexia (67%), weight loss (49%), and dyspnea (42%). Pain was the most distressing symptom in 31% of patients, followed by dyspnea (24%) and weakness/fatigue (11%). The high prevalence of advanced disease and the demonstrated high symptom burden mandate the initiation and development of culturally sensitive palliative care models, especially hospital-based ones, to relieve the suffering of patients with cancer in Kuwait.
Department of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait.
Salem
S
Alshemmari
Hanan
H
Ezzat
Zainab
Z
Samir
Kamlesh
K
Sajnani
Samy
S
Alsirafy
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000855:Anorexia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015984:Causality; D015897:Comorbidity; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007730:Kuwait; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology