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. 2023 Apr 20;4(1):120-126.
doi: 10.1089/pmr.2022.0071. eCollection 2023.

Associations in Perceived Health and Persistent Breathlessness: A Cross-Sectional Study

Slavica Kochovska  1 , Sungwon Chang  2 , Max Olsson  3 , Magnus Ekström  3 , David C Currow  1
Affiliations

Associations in Perceived Health and Persistent Breathlessness: A Cross-Sectional Study

Slavica Kochovska et al. Palliat Med Rep. .

Abstract

Background: Persistent breathlessness is debilitating and increases in prevalence with advanced age and at end of life. This study aimed to evaluate any relationship between self-reported global impressions of change (GIC) in perceived health and breathlessness in older men.

Design: Cross-sectional study of 73-year-old Swedish men in the VAScular and Chronic Obstructive Lung disease study. A postal survey included items on perceived changes in health and breathlessness (GIC scales) and breathlessness (assessed using the modified Medical Research Council [mMRC] breathlessness scale, Dyspnea-12 and Multidimensional Dyspnea Scale) since age 65.

Results: Of 801 respondents, breathlessness (mMRC ≥2) was reported by 17.9%, worsening breathlessness by 29.1%, and worsening perceived health by 51.3%. Worsening breathlessness was strongly correlated with worsening perceived health (Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.68 [p < 0.001] and Kendall's τ of 0.56 [p < 0.001]) and associated with more limited function (47.2% vs. 29.7%; p < 0.0001) and increased rates of anxiety/depression.

Conclusion: The strong correlation between perceived changes in health and persistent breathlessness helps delineate a more comprehensive picture of the challenges faced by older adults living with this disabling symptom.

Keywords: breathlessness; dyspnea; global impression of change; palliative care; perceived health; population studies.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
(a) Breathlessness in the last two weeks (D-12 Total and MDP-A1 scores) as functions of GIC in health and breathlessness since age 65, with standard error lines. (b) The relationship between GIC for health status and persistent breathlessness in 801 Swedish men aged 73 with the size of each sphere proportional to the size of that group of respondents. D-12, Dyspnea-12; GIC, global impression of change; MDP-A1, Multidimensional Dyspnea Profile (affective component).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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