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. 2020 Sep-Oct;24(5):402-405.
doi: 10.4103/ijem.IJEM_401_20. Epub 2020 Nov 9.

Health-related Quality of Life in Acromegaly Patients: Results from Generic and Disease-specific Questionnaires

Bruno de A Oliveira  1 , Bruna Araújo  2 , Tainá M Dos Santos  2 , Bárbara R Ongaratti  1 , Carolina G S Leães Rech  2 , Nelson P Ferreira  2 , Júlia F S Pereira-Lima  1   2 , Miriam da C Oliveira  1   2
Affiliations

Health-related Quality of Life in Acromegaly Patients: Results from Generic and Disease-specific Questionnaires

Bruno de A Oliveira et al. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2020 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Introduction: Acromegaly is associated with high morbidity, but still controversial impact on the overall quality of life (QoL).

Material and methods: We evaluated QoL using a generic (SF-36) and a disease-specific questionnaire (AcroQoL) in an acromegalic cohort.

Results: Sixty-nine patients answered the questionnaires and had their records reviewed. In the SF-36 questionnaire, except for the Social Aspects domain, all others revealed a reduction in scores from 9.7 to 38.9%, when compared to the non-acromegalics. The cure was positively correlated with mental health (P = 0.023) and drug control was correlated with mental health (P = 0.023) and functional capacity (P = 0.013). In the AcroQoL questionnaire, the mean scores ranged from 54.7% to 72.8%. The use of antidepressants correlated with lower scores on the total AcroQoL (P = 0.039) and physical complaints (P = 0.003). The growth hormone value at diagnosis showed an inverse correlation with the total AcroQoL score (P = 0.014), Appearance Issues subscale (P = 0.081), and Personal Relations (P = 0.002). IGF-1 values at diagnosis and at the last visit showed no statistical correlation with any of the questionnaires.

Conclusion: The finding of a reduction in QoL scores with both SF-36 and AcroQoL allows us to suggest this evaluation as part of the initial assessment and follow-up in acromegaly, to act globally on the individual's health condition.

Keywords: AcroQoL; Acromegaly; SF-36; quality of life.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

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