The concept of (early stage) glaucoma as an asymptomatic disease is only valid with optimal luminance. Differences in visual complaints between glaucoma patients and controls are greater under extreme luminance conditions, especially in the dark. The fact that the cases were aware of their diagnosis could have induced bias.

The relationship between personality, supportive transactions and support satisfaction, and mental health of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. Results from the Dutch part of the Euridiss study Suurmeijer, TPBM; van Sonderen, Frideric; Krol, B; Doeglas, DM; van den Heuvel, Wilhelmus; Sanderman, Robbert Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. ABSTRACT. The relationships between two personality characteristics (neuroticism, extraversion), three types of supportive transactions (emotional support, social companionship, instrumental support) and satisfaction with these transactions, and two aspects of mental health (feelings of anxiety and depressive mood) were studied among 280 patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. Structural equation modeling of the relevant variables showed that people with a more neurotic personality profile showed more anxiety and depressed feelings. Extraversion had no direct effect on depression or anxiety. Companionship, both transactions and satisfaction, had an independent positive effect on depression but not on anxiety. The effect of emotional support ran via social companionship: more emotional support (both transactions and satisfaction) was expressed in companionship leading to a less depressed mood. Finally, more depressed people received more instrumental supportive transactions while more satisfaction with this type of supportive transactions was related to less anxiety. Apart from the disturbing effect of a neurotic personality profile on mental health, the results once more underscore the importance of social companionship as a multifunctional activity for people's mental health. Maintaining this type of relationships despite a disabling condition gives people the opportunity to derive rewards that otherwise could not or only with more difficulty be achieved.

A substantial proportion of eligible women can be committed to mammography every two years, possibly even after reaching the age of 70, if the age at entry is around 50 and the screening programme is well established in the community. Starting a screening programme in older women seems ineffective.

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the quality of life (QoL) profiles of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to relate these to disease and impairment variables as indicated, respectively, by erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and by tender joint count (Ritchie Articular Index), fatigue, and pain. Methods The present study uses part of the European Research on Incapacitating Disease and Social Support data of 573 patients with recently diagnosed RA (268 from the Netherlands, 216 from Norway, and 89 from France). A series of clinical and psychosocial data were collected on 4 (the Netherlands, France) and 3 (Norway) occasions, with 1‐year intervals separating the waves of data collection. Results Of the disease activity (ESR) and impairment variables (tender joint count, fatigue, pain), fatigue was identified as the consequence of disease that differentiated best on a series of QoL aspects such as disability, psychological well‐being, social support, and “overall evaluation of health.” Next came pain and tender joint count, and ESR showed by far the least differentiating ability. A principal‐component analysis on the QoL measures used in this study yielded one general factor measuring “overall QoL.” After rotation, two separate factors were encountered, one referring to the physical domain and the other to the psychological and social domains of QoL. Again, the QoL of RA patients experiencing much fatigue appeared to decline the most. Conclusions Because of the highly variable nature of RA, impairments, activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL restrictions, and psychosocial distress can vary erratically. In particular, “fatigue” as measured over a period of 2 to 3 years distinguished best among RA patients as shown by their QoL profiles. Although the physical domain was most affected, the significant effect of RA on the psychosocial domain should not be underestimated.