title: Assessment of quality of life as a tool for measuring morbidity due to Schistosoma mansoni infection and the impact of treatment.
abstract: Recently, health measurements have broadened to include the assessment of quality of life (QOL). This study was conducted to assess whether the short form of the World Health Organization (WHO) QOL questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) was an effective tool for measuring morbidity due to Schistosoma mansoni infection and whether it could detect an impact of treatment with praziquantel. A total of 724 adults 18-85 years of age were enrolled. At baseline, S. mansoni prevalence was 73.2% by stool examination and 75.4% by circulating cathodic antigen, and there was no association between infection status and WHOQOL-BREF scores. Six months after treatment, S. mansoni prevalence was lower and the proportion of persons with higher WHOQOL-BREF scores significantly increased among persons who were infected at baseline. However, a similar increase was observed in persons not infected at baseline. In areas of high prevalence, the WHOQOL-BREF may not be able to detect the benefits of schistosomiasis control programs.
authors: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya.
authors: Kimberly Y
authors: KY
authors: Won
authors: Bernard
authors: B
authors: Abudho
authors: Anna J
authors: AJ
authors: Blackstock
authors: Susan P
authors: SP
authors: Montgomery
authors: Erin D
authors: ED
authors: Kennedy
authors: Bobbie
authors: B
authors: Person
authors: Pauline N M
authors: PN
authors: Mwinzi
authors: Elizabeth A
authors: EA
authors: Ochola
authors: Karen T
authors: KT
authors: Foo
authors: Allen W
authors: AW
authors: Hightower
authors: Diana M S
authors: DM
authors: Karanja
authors: W Evan
authors: WE
authors: Secor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D000886:Anthropometry; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D011223:Praziquantel / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014944:World Health Organization; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011223:Praziquantel; D015766:Albendazole