title: Assessment of health related quality of life in polish patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) have impaired health related quality of life (HRQoL), as assessed by PBC-specific HRQoL (PBC-40) and generic (SF-36) questionnaires. Data on the applicability of PBC-27, a shorter version of PBC-40, have been limited.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess HRQoL in Polish PBC patients, applying PBC-40, PBC-27 and SF-36 and to associate clinical or laboratory parameters with HRQoL factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 205 PBC patients (188 females) were analyzed using PBC-40, PBC-27 and SF-36; 85 disease-free demographically matched (in terms of age, gender, ethnicity) individuals were used as normal controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When compared to controls, PBC patients had significantly impaired HRQoL across all the domains of SF-36. HRQoL impairment by PBC-40 and PBC-27 was comparable between cirrhotics and non-cirrhotics, except for significantly worse Itch in cirrhotics (6.5±4.9 vs 5.1±4.3; P=0.03). In PBC-40/27, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels correlated with itch (P=0.0003). Female patients had marginally impaired cognitive function compared to males by PBC-40 (P=0.06). Other gender-related differences were not found. Anti-gp210 positive, as well as AMA negative PBC patients, had worse HRQoL features in itch and social/emotional domains of PBC-40/PBC-27 questionnaires. Very strong correlations (P<0.0001) between PBC-40/PBC-27 and SF-36 were seen for several domains.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HRQoL is significantly impaired in Polish patients with PBC, independently of gender and disease severity. PBC-40 and PBC-27 questionnaires are efficient in detecting HRQoL impairment in Polish PBC patients. The striking correlation between PBC-40/PBC-27 and SF-36 confirms the usefulness of the former HRQoL measures in PBC patients from Central-Eastern Europe.
authors.affiliation: Liver and Internal Medicine Unit, Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery of the Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Raszeja-Wyszomirska
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Molecular Biochemistry, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wunsch
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery of the Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krawczyk
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Eirini I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Rigopoulou
authors.affiliation: Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Konrad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kostrzewa
authors.affiliation: Inova Diagnostics, San Diego, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece; Liver Sciences, Division of Transplantation Immunology and Mucosal Biology, King's College London School of Medicine, King's College Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Dimitrios P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Bogdanos
authors.affiliation: Liver and Internal Medicine Unit, Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery of the Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland; Department of Clinical and Molecular Biochemistry, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland. Electronic address: milkiewp@sci.pum.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Milkiewicz
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000209:etiology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D028861:Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D011044:Poland; D011537:Pruritus / Q000209:etiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; C063865:NUP210 protein, human; D028861:Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins