To compare the health related quality of life of patients with systemic sclerosis with other rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjogren's syndrome.
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease characterized by vasculopathy, fibrosis, and autoimmunity. The prognosis of the disease depends on the nature and severity of organ involvement. Patients with SSc suffer from digital ulceration, arthritis, progressive skin tightening, and joint contractures that cause pain and limitation of limb function. The cardiopulmonary system may also be severly affected by SSc in the form of interstitial lung disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension, which leads to reduction in exercise capacity and symptomatic dyspnea. Gastrointestinal involvement by SSc may cause malnutrition, and SSc renal crises may result in renal failure. In addition, cosmetic disfigurement resulting from facial and limb skin involvement may lead to social isolation, mood problems, and significant work disability. It has been reported that health related quality of life (HRQoL) is significantly impared in SSc patients compared to the general population. Moreover, the degree of impairment in SSc patients was comparable to those who suffered from other chronic illnesses such as heart and lung disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and depression. However, there were no studies yet comparing the HRQoL of SSc patients with other rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Especially, information regarding the impact of SSc on functioning and HRQoL in Korean patients is lacking. Therefore, the investigators plan to compare the functioning and HRQoL of patients with SSc with other rheumatic diseases, such as RA, SLE, and Sjogrens's syndrome, and healthy controls. A validated Korean version of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF36) questionnaire and the EuroQol five dimensions questionnaire (EQ-5D) will be used in this study.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
500
This is an observational prospective study. SF36 consists of 36 questions that measure patient's HRQoL in 8 domains: physical functioning (PF), role-physical (RP), bodily pain (BP), general health (GH) that represent the physical HRQoL, vitality (VT), social functioning (SF), role-emotional (RE), and mental health (MH) that represent the mental HRQoL. Each domain is scored from 0 (worst health status) to 100 (best health status). The scores of these domains are summarized into the physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS). The EQ-5D questionnaire is made up for 2 components; health state description and evaluation. In description part, health status is measured in terms of 5 dimensions (5D); mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. In evaluation part, the respondents evaluate their overall health status using the visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS).
Seoul National University Hospital
Seoul, South Korea
RECRUITINGcomparison of physical component scores (PCS) of the SF 36 questionnaire between patients with systemic sclerosis and other rheumatic diseases
Time frame: once at inclusion
comparison of mental component scores (MCS) of the SF 36 questionnaire between patients with systemic sclerosis and other rheumatic diseases
Time frame: once at inclusion
comparison of physical functioning (PF) scores of the SF 36 questionnaire between patients with systemic sclerosis and other rheumatic diseases
Time frame: once at inclusion
comparison of physical role (PR) scores of the SF 36 questionnaire between patients with systemic sclerosis and other rheumatic diseases
Time frame: once at inclusion
comparison of bodily pain (BP) scores of the SF 36 questionnaire between patients with systemic sclerosis and other rheumatic diseases
Time frame: once at inclusion
comparison of general health (GH) scores of the SF 36 questionnaire between patients with systemic sclerosis and other rheumatic diseases
Time frame: once at inclusion
comparison of vitality (VT) scores of the SF 36 questionnaire between patients with systemic sclerosis and other rheumatic diseases
Time frame: once at inclusion
comparison of social functioning (SF) scores of the SF 36 questionnaire between patients with systemic sclerosis and other rheumatic diseases
Time frame: once at inclusion
comparison of emotional role (ER) scores of the SF 36 questionnaire between patients with systemic sclerosis and other rheumatic diseases
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Time frame: once at inclusion
comparison of mental health (MH) scores of the SF 36 questionnaire between patients with systemic sclerosis and other rheumatic diseases
Time frame: once at inclusion
comparison of the scores of the EQ-5D questionnaire between patients with systemic sclerosis and other rheumatic diseases
Time frame: once at inclusion