The St.George's Respiratory Questionnaire in Lymphangioleiomyomatosis

Objective To examine the correlation between the health-related quality of life measured by the St.George's Respiratory Questionnaire(SGRQ) and the commonly used physiological measures in lymphangioleiomyomatosis(LAM).Methods This study retrospectively analyzed the SGRQ scores and other measures(the Borg scale of breathlessness at rest,6-minute walking distance,blood oxygen levels,and pulmonary function) of patients diagnosed and confirmed with LAM.Altogether 38 patients between June 2007 and November 2009 were included.Results The mean values of the SGRQ three components(symptoms,activity,and impacts) and total scores in the LAM patients were 46.95±28.90,58.47±25.41,47.89±29.66,and 51.11±26.35,respectively.The SGRQ total or component scores were correlated well with the Borg scale of breathlessness,6-minute walking distance,partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood,spirometry and diffusion capacity of lung.There were poor correlations between SGRQ score and residual volume or total lung capacity.In our preliminary observation,sirolimus improved the SGRQ total and three component scores and the Borg scale of breathlessness significantly after 101-200 days of treatment(n=6).Conclusions The SGRQ score in LAM is correlated well with physiological measures(Borg scale of breathlessness,6-minute walking distance,blood oxygen levels,and pulmonary function tests).The SGRQ could therefore be recommended in baseline and follow-up evaluation of patients with LAM.Treatment with sirolimus,an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin,may improve the quality of life and patient's perception of breathlessness in LAM.

The cross-sectional and longitudinal association of the BODE index with quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background The body mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity （BODE） index was shown at predicting the risk of death, exacerbation and disease severity among patients with COPD, but few studies verified relationship between BODE index and health related quality of life （HRQoL） among Chinese COPD patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between BODE index and HRQoL in cross-sectional and longitudinal association analyses. Methods A multi-center prospective cohort study was initially conducted in 491 stable COPD patients in Beijing, China. Health status （HRQoL） was assessed by St. George＇s Respiratory Questionnaire （SGRQ）; the BODE index was calculated for each patient; dyspnea was assessed using the 5-grade Medical Research Council dyspnea scale. Other measurements included socio-demographic, body mass index （BMI）, lung function test and 6-minute-walk test （6MWT）. Patients were then followed monthly for 12 months. Results Only 450 patients completed the 1-year follow up and were enrolled in our present analyses. Mean age was （65.2 ±10.6）years,＇ men 309 （68.7%）. The BODE index was categorized into 4 subgroups： 0-2, 3-4, 5-6 and 7-10. At baseline BODE index was gradually increased with baseline total SGRQ and SGRQ subscales （P trend 〈0.001）. For individual components of BODE index, with the decrease of airflow limitation, and 6MWD, and with the increase of Medical Research Council （MRC） dyspnea grade, total SGRQ and SGRQ subscales were increased correspondingly, P trend 〈0.05, respectively. Similar association patterns were found between baseline BODE index and its individual components and mean SGRQ scores at the end of 1-year follow up. By multiple linear regression analyses, baseline BODE index was not only significantly associated with SGRQ score at baseline but also with SGRQ score at the end of 1-year follow up after adjustment for age, male, current smoking, 13s being 0.434 and 0.378, respectively. Conclusions BODE index is associated with SGRQ score cross-sectionally and longitudinally among stable COPD patients. BODE index might have potential to be used as a sensitive tool to assess the status of quality of life and to monitor disease progression among stable COPD patients.

The effects of Chinese Yam-Epimedium mixture on respiratory function and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

OBJECTIVE:To examine the clinical effects of a mixture of Chinese Yam and Epimedium in patients with stable moderate or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD).METHODS:Forty-nine patients with COPD were randomly allocated to a group whose usual treatment was supplemented with oral Chinese Yam-Epimedium mixture,or a control group given placebo.For each patient,body mass index,airflow obstruction,dyspnea,and exercise capacity were measured and converted into the BODE index before treatment and at one and three months after initiation of treatment.Participants also completed the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire(SGRQ) at the same intervals.RESULTS:After one month,improvements were seen in the BODE index and SGRQ of participants taking Chinese Yam-Epimedium mixture compared to controls.There were statistically significant differences in the SGRQ:three of its components and the total SGRQ scores were significantly decreased(P<0.05),respiratory symptom scores had improved(P<0.01),and the dyspnea component of the BODE index had significantly decreased(P<0.05).Similar improvements were observed after three months of treatment,but exercise tolerance had also improved:the six-minute walking distance had significantly increased(P<0.05) in the treatment group when compared with controls.CONCLUSION:Chinese Yam-Epimedium mixture can significantly improve dyspnea,exercise capacity,and the quality of life of patients with stable moderate or severe COPD.