BackgroundHidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and psoriasis are inflammatory skin diseases associated with obesity. Each disease is likely to impact the quality of life of patients, but the relative impact of each disease is unknown.ObjectivesThis study aimed to determine whether skin disease or obesity is more distressing to obese patients who have either psoriasis or HS.MethodsA cohort of obese patients with psoriasis and HS was surveyed using a time-trade-off utility. T-tests and regression analysis were used to compare differences in impact on quality of life between skin disease and obesity for patients with HS and psoriasis. Further analyses were adjusted for degree of obesity and severity of disease.ResultsA total of 79 subjects completed the survey. Obese patients with HS were heavier than patients with psoriasis (mean body mass index 38.1 kg/m2 vs. 34.9 kg/m2). Obese patients with either HS or psoriasis were both willing to trade a significantly higher proportion of their life to live without skin disease than to live at a normal weight (p = .01). This effect persisted after controlling for disease severity and weight. Patients with HS were willing to trade significantly more years of life to live at a normal weight than obese patients with psoriasis (14 vs. 7; p < .04).LimitationsThis was a small study conducted at an academic institution.ConclusionIn this study population, obesity was more severe in patients with HS than in those with psoriasis. Even after controlling for relative severity, HS was more problematic for subjects in this study than weight when these conditions existed concomitantly.
Study Design.
Retrospective cross-sectional cohort.
Objective.
The aim of this sudy was to determine whether muscle health measurements are associated with health-related quality of life scores (HRQOLs) for patients with lumbar spine pathology.
Summary of Background Data.
Poor muscle health has been implicated as a source of pain/dysfunction for patients with lumbar spine pathology. Our aim was to quantify the relationship using muscle health measurements and HRQOLs.
Methods.
Three hundred and eight patients were included (mean age 57.7 ± standard deviation 18.2 years’ old). We randomly selected patients into a derivation cohort (200) and validation cohort (108) to create our muscle health grade. We measured muscle health by the lumbar indentation value (LIV), goutallier classification (GC), and ratio of paralumbar muscle cross-sectional area over body mass index (PL-CSA/BMI). A muscle health grade was derived based on whether a measurement showed a statistically significant impact on visual analog scale back and leg pain (VAS-leg and VAS-leg), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), short-form 12 physical health score (SF-12 PHS), short-form 12 mental health score (SF-12 MHS) and Patient-reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). A variety of statistical tools were used to determine whether there was a relationship between a measurement and HRQOLs.
Results.
In the derivation cohort, a muscle health grade was created based on the GC and PL-CSA/BMI ratio. For patients with a GC ≤2, one point was given. For patients with a PL-CSA/BMI ≥130, one point was given. Patients with 2 points were graded as “A” and 0 or 1 point were graded “B.” Within the validation cohort of patients, there was a statistically significant higher PROMIS (mean 34.5 ± standard deviation 12.6 vs. 27.6 ± 14.0, P = 0.002), ODI (38.8 ± 18.3 vs. 45.8 ± 18.1, P = 0.05) and SF-12 PHS (34.7 ± 11.3 vs. 29.1 ± 6.3, P = 0.002) for patients with a good muscle health grade of “A.”
Conclusion.
This study offers an objective measurement of muscle health that correlates with HRQOLs for patients with lumbar spine pathology.
Level of Evidence: 3
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.