title: Functional outcome and quality of life in victims of terrorist explosions as compared to conventional trauma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Following trauma, the number of preventable deaths is low. Outcome should also be measured in terms of quality of life (QoL). Studies analyzing QoL in trauma patients have been published, but little is known about the long term QoL of victims of terrorist attacks.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a case-control study of casualties of the March 11, 2004 attacks in Madrid. Patients treated for other trauma with similar age and Injury Severity Score (ISS), served as controls. Patients were assessed using the POLO-Chart (VAS, SF-36 and TOP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-eight patients were included, 32 casualties admitted following the March 11, 2004 attacks and 26 controls. Both groups were comparable in age (average = 37), ISS (average = 23) and time from trauma (average = 1,770 days). Subjects demonstrated lower scores for the VAS, and the SF-36 clusters social functioning, role emotional and mental health. There was a tendency towards higher prevalence of symptoms associated to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in subjects (p = 0.056). Subjects suffered from higher residual pain in the head region (p = 0.032). Strong association was found between the presence of symptoms associated to depression, anxiety and PTSD and worse QoL (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subjects present more emotional distortions, residual pain in the head region and a tendency towards a worsened perception of their own health and wellness. They also present symptoms associated to PTSD more frequently. The presence of symptoms associated to PTSD, depression or anxiety was an independent variable related to lower QoL in both groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Abdominal Surgery, Hospital Infanta Leonor, Madrid, Spain. lallamaquellama79@hotmail.com.|, C/General Diaz Porlier, 16. 3ºB. 28.001, Madrid, Spain. lallamaquellama79@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Serralta-Colsa
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Abdominal Surgery 2, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañon, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Camarero-Mulas
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Abdominal Surgery 2, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañon, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: García-Marín
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Abdominal Surgery 2, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañon, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martin-Gil
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology, Instituto Pere Mata, Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: España-Chamorro
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Abdominal Surgery 2, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañon, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Turegano-Fuentes
keywords: QoL; Quality life; Quality management; Terrorist; Trauma
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