title: Health-related quality of life in patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia in Estonia.
abstract: METHODS
  Observational population-based cohort study.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The main aim of this study was to examine the relative effect of hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL).
  
  
  METHODS
  HRQoL was evaluated using a RAND 36-Item Health Survey 1.0 questionnaire. Fifty-eight patients received a questionnaire through mail and signed an informed consent. The results for the control group were obtained from the RAND-36 data collected in 2004 in the European Social Survey. R2.9.0 and Statistica 6.1 were used to analyze the RAND-36 data.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was performed in Estonia, a country with a population of 1.3 million.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Completed questionnaires were received from 49 participants (response rate was 84.5%). The control group consisted of 549 individuals from the Estonian population. Patients with HSP had lower mean scores in all categories as compared with the control group. Six of the eight categories showed significant differences, with P<0.0001. For the vitality category, the P-value ranged from 0.000006 from 0.002, and the P-value for the mental health category ranged from 0.001 to 0.055.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HRQoL in patients with HSP was found to be significantly worse than that for the general population. The level of education might affect the HRQoL experienced by HSP patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia. mark.braschinsky@kliinikum.ee
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Braschinsky
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rannikmäe
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Krikmann
authors.forename: S-M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lüüs
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raidvee
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gross-Paju
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haldre
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004957:Estonia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D015419:Spastic Paraplegia, Hereditary / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult