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. 2012 Fall;64(4):338-46.
doi: 10.3138/ptc.2011-26.

Health-related quality of life of australians with Parkinson disease: a comparison with international studies

Sze-Ee Soh  1 , Jennifer L McGinley, Jennifer J Watts, Robert Iansek, Meg E Morris
Affiliations

Health-related quality of life of australians with Parkinson disease: a comparison with international studies

Sze-Ee Soh et al. Physiother Can. 2012 Fall.

Abstract
in English, French

Purpose: This study describes the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of Australians living with Parkinson disease (PD) and compares the findings to international reports.

Methods: The Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) was used to measure HRQOL in 210 individuals with PD living in Australia. In parallel, a tailored literature search identified previous studies on HROQL in people with PD. A quantitative meta-analysis with a random-effects model was used to compare the HRQOL of individuals with PD living in Australia and other countries.

Results: The mean PDQ-39 summary index (SI) score for this sample of Australians with PD was 20.9 (SD 12.7). Ratings for the dimension of social support and stigma were significantly lower than ratings for bodily discomfort, mobility, activities of daily living, cognition, and emotional well-being. Comparing the Australian and international PD samples revealed a significant heterogeneity in overall HRQOL (I(2)=97%). The mean PDQ-39 SI scores for Australians were lower, indicating better HRQOL relative to samples from other countries.

Conclusions: This Australian sample with PD perceived their HRQOL as poor, although it was less severely compromised than that of international samples. While further research is required, these findings can inform the clinical decision-making processes of physiotherapists.

Objectif : Cette étude décrit la qualité de vie liée à la santé (QDVS) des Australiens qui vivent avec la maladie de Parkinson (MP) et elle compare les diverses conclusions de rapports internationaux. Méthode : Le questionnaire sur la maladie de Parkinson-39 (Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39, ou PDQ-39) a été utilisé pour mesurer la qualité de vie de 210 personnes aux prises avec la maladie de Parkinson et vivant en Australie. Parallèlement, une recherche documentaire sur mesure a permis de trouver les études déjà réalisées sur la QVDS des personnes aux prises avec cette maladie. Une méta-analyse quantitative avec modèle à effets aléatoires a été utilisée pour comparer la QVDS des individus aux prises avec la maladie de Parkinson qui vivent en Australie ou ailleurs. Résultats : La moyenne de l'indice global du PDQ-39 pour cet échantillon d'Australiens atteints de la maladie de Parkinson était de 20,9 (écart-type de 12,7). Les cotes en ce qui concerne le soutien social et la discrimination étaient considérablement plus faibles que celles touchant l'inconfort physique, la mobilité, les activités de la vie quotidienne, la cognition et le bien-être affectif. La comparaison entre les échantillons de malades australiens et ceux d'ailleurs dans le monde a révélé une hétérogénéité considérable dans la QVDS globale (I2=97%). La moyenne des IS du PDQ-39 pour les Australiens était moins élevée, ce qui indique une meilleure QVDS pour les échantillons des autres pays. Conclusions : Dans cet échantillon australien, les personnes aux prises avec la maladie de Parkinson percevaient leur QVDS comme mauvaise, bien que celle-ci ait été beaucoup moins gravement compromise que chez les personnes des échantillons internationaux. Des recherches supplémentaires seraient nécessaires, mais ces constatations peuvent tout de même contribuer au processus de prise de décision des physiothérapeutes.

Keywords: Australia; Parkinson disease; meta-analysis; quality of life.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean and 95% CIs of overall HRQOL as measured by the PDQ-39 summary index for people with PD living in Australia and other countries, stratified by region.
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