title: Impact of anaemia on health-related quality of life and cardiac remodelling in patients with lower risk myelodysplastic syndromes. Results of GlobQoL study.
abstract: The aim of this study was to analyse the eventual changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and left ventricular function (LVF) over a 1-year follow-up period in a cohort of patients with lower risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) receiving standard supportive treatment, in order to identify potential clues for early clinical intervention, as well as to analyse how they relate to haemoglobin levels and other aspects of the disease. A total of 39 adult anaemic patients with lower risk MDS were included in a prospective, observational, multi-centre study. Changes in performance status, functional capacity and HRQoL were collected by using standardised measures (ECOG scale; SPPB, Short Physical Performance Battery; SF-36, Short-Form 36 questionnaire; QLQ-C30, Quality of Life Core Questionnaire; FACT-An, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Anaemia scale questionnaires respectively). Need for transfusion (Linear Analogue Scale Assessment), as perceived independently by the patient and the haematologist, was also recorded. No changes in HRQoL (or LVF) were found, except for slight reductions in SF-36 physical function (P = 0.034), SPPB gait speed (P = 0.038) and FACT-An score (P = 0.029), all without apparent immediate clinical relevance for HRQoL, that were unrelated to changes in haemoglobin level. Periodical evaluation of gait speed may assist the clinician in early detection of patient's occult functional decline before it becomes clinically relevant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Hospital Universitario de León and Institute of Biomedicine (IBIOMED), University of Leon, León, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pedro
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tormo
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Paz
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Font
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Luño
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Hospital Insular, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caballero
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Hospital Nuestra Señora del Prado, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Solano
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Almagro
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xicoy
authors.affiliation: Novartis Oncology, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jiménez
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling; D000072797:Walking Speed / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins
keywords: anaemia; cardiac remodelling; ferritin; gait speed; myelodysplastic syndromes; quality of life