QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL OC CLUSIVE-DISEASE - MULTICENTER STUDY OF LIFE QUALITY BY A NEWLY DEVELOPED DISEASE-SPECIFIC QUESTIONNAIRE

Aim: Owing to a lack of disease-specific measuring instruments, no sys tematic investigations of the impairment of the quality of life in pat ients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) have so far be en possible. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to develop a n appropriate questionnaire and to submit it to a psychometric test in a sufficiently large number of patients. Patients and method: A disea se-specific questionnaire comprising 86 individual items was developed (PAVK 86) and was tested in a longitudinal study involving 308 patien ts with confirmed peripheral arterial occlusive disease, Fontaines's s tages I to IV. At the same time, three established generic questionnai res were also employed (SF 36, NHP, Every Day Life). Results: Analysis showed that, in comparison with a normal population, the quality of l ife in patients with PAOD is considerably impaired, in particular by p ain, anxiety, general complaints and reduced physical mobility and per formance, and is comparable with that of patients suffering from renal carcinoma. In Fontaine's stage III and IV, the quality of life is sig nificantly more greatly impaired than in patients with stage II diseas e. No differences in quality of life were to be found between Fontaine 's stages III and IV. The psychometric test revealed that the PAVK 86 questionnaire is a sensitive, reliable, valid and practicable measurin g instrument. Conclusion: The PAVK 86 questionnaire is suitable for de termining the course and outcome of therapeutic measures on the qualit y of life of PAOD patients, and can therefore be included in clinical studies, In addition, its use in combination with established generic questionnaires also permits a comparison with age-matched healthy cont rol groups, and is thus also of importance for the assessment of aspec ts of health economics.