title: Self-reported quality of life in patients with diabetes: a comparison of patients with and without Charcot neuroarthropathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous reports using the Short Form-36 as a generic measure of quality of life have demonstrated reduced quality of life in patients with Charcot neuroarthropathy (CN). The aim of this study was to assess self-reported quality of life using the SF-36 and a region-specific assessment (the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure [FAAM]), hypothesizing that patients with diabetes and CN would have lower self-reported scores than patients with diabetes and no foot disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty patients with diabetes and CN were included in the study group. Fifty-six patients with diabetes and no pedal complaints comprised the control group. Quality of life was assessed with the SF-36 and the FAAM.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with CN were more likely to have type 1 diabetes mellitus, were more likely to use insulin, had greater duration of diabetes, and were more likely to be neuropathic than patients in the control group. Patients with CN reported mean FAAM activities of daily living (ADL) scores that were 2 standard deviations below the control group and sports scores that were 1 standard deviation lower. There was no notable difference between the SF-36 mental component summary scores between the CN and control groups. SF-36 physical component summary scores in patients with CN were notably lower than scores in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CN is associated with reduced quality of life as measured with the SF-36 and FAAM. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study directly comparing self-reported outcome assessments in patients with both diabetes and CN and patients with diabetes without foot complaints.
  
  
  METHODS
  Level III, comparative series.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Mercy Center For Healing and Amputation Prevention, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Raspovic
authors.forename: Dane K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Wukich
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D001177:Arthropathy, Neurogenic; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies; D005260:Female; D005534:Foot Diseases; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D057566:Self Report
keywords: FAAM; SF-36; charcot neuroarthropathy; diabetes; quality of life