HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN PARKINSONS-DISEASE - A STUDY OF OUTPATIENT-CLINIC ATTENDERS

Objective: To assess the validity and responsiveness of a questionnair e to assess health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease (PD) -the 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39)-and to report problems experienced by patients by means of the questionnaire. Method s: Patients completed the PDQ-39 and the SF-36 at baseline and 4 month s later. At the same assessments, neurologists rated patients with Hoe hn and Yahr and Columbia Scales. Results: Evidence for validity of the new questionnaire was observed by agreement of scores with clinical s cales at both assessments. Evidence for responsiveness of scales asses sing physical function, particularly mobility and activities of daily living, was observed from significant paired t tests for differences b etween scores at baseline and follow-up, and correlations with patient s' retrospective judgments and changes in the SF-36 summary scores, Ho wever, there were no significant associations with changes in neurolog ists' clinical scores. Patients most frequently reported problems of p hysical function in the PDQ-39. Scores for several dimensions of the P DQ-39 were significantly more favorable than those reported by nonclin ic samples of patients with PD. Conclusions: The PDQ-39 has validity f or use among patients attending neurological clinics for treatment of PD. There is also some evidence of responsiveness. The questionnaire i dentifies problems that are important to patients and that appear to b e more commonly experienced by nonclinic attenders.