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Cristea L, Olsson M, Sandberg J, Kochovska S, Currow D, Ekström M. Which breathlessness dimensions associate most strongly with fatigue?-The population-based VASCOL study of elderly men. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0296016. [PMID: 38117831 PMCID: PMC10732411 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breathlessness and fatigue are common symptoms in older people. We aimed to evaluate how different breathlessness dimensions (overall intensity, unpleasantness, sensory descriptors, emotional responses) were associated with fatigue in elderly men. METHODS This was a cross-sectional analysis of the population-based VAScular disease and Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (VASCOL) study of 73-year old men. Breathlessness dimensions were assessed using the Dyspnoea-12 (D-12), Multidimensional Dyspnoea Profile (MDP), and the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale. Fatigue was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) questionnaire. Clinically relevant fatigue was defined as FACIT-F≤ 30 units. Scores were compared standardized as z-scores and analysed using linear regression, adjusted for body mass index, smoking, depression, cancer, sleep apnoea, prior cardiac surgery, respiratory and cardiovascular disease. RESULTS Of 677 participants, 11.7% had clinically relevant fatigue. Higher breathlessness scores were associated with having worse fatigue; for D-12 total, -0.35 ([95% CI] -0.41 to -0.30) and for MDP A1, -0.24 (-0.30 to -0.18). Associations were similar across all the evaluated breathlessness dimensions even when adjusting for the potential confounders. CONCLUSION Breathlessness assessed using D-12 and MDP was associated with worse fatigue in elderly men, similarly across different breathlessness dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Cristea
- Respiratory Medicine, Allergology and Palliative Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Kallinge Health Center, Kallinge, Sweden
| | - Max Olsson
- Respiratory Medicine, Allergology and Palliative Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Jacob Sandberg
- Respiratory Medicine, Allergology and Palliative Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Slavica Kochovska
- Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - David Currow
- Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Magnus Ekström
- Respiratory Medicine, Allergology and Palliative Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Kochovska S, Chang S, Olsson M, Ekström M, Currow DC. Associations in Perceived Health and Persistent Breathlessness: A Cross-Sectional Study. Palliat Med Rep 2023; 4:120-126. [PMID: 37095863 PMCID: PMC10122221 DOI: 10.1089/pmr.2022.0071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Slavica Kochovska
- Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sungwon Chang
- IMPACCT, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Max Olsson
- Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Magnus Ekström
- Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - David C. Currow
- Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- Address correspondence to: David C. Currow, MPH, PhD, FAHMS, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
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Olsson M, Currow DC, Ekström MP. Exploring the most important factors related to self-perceived health among older men in Sweden: a cross-sectional study using machine learning. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e061242. [PMID: 35728903 PMCID: PMC9214374 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate which factors are the most strongly related to self-perceived health among older men and describe the shape of the association between the related factors and self-perceived health using machine learning. DESIGN AND SETTING This is a cross-sectional study within the population-based VAScular and Chronic Obstructive Lung disease study (VASCOL) conducted in southern Sweden in 2019. PARTICIPANTS A total of 475 older men aged 73 years from the VASCOL dataset. MEASURES Self-perceived health was measured using the first item of the Short Form 12. An extreme gradient-boosting model was trained to classify self-perceived health as better (rated: excellent or very good) or worse (rated: fair or poor) using self-reported data on 19 prevalent physician-diagnosed health conditions, intensity of 9 symptoms and 9 demographic and lifestyle factors. Importance of factors was measured in SHapley Additive exPlanations absolute mean and higher scores correspond to greater importance. RESULTS The most important factors for classifying self-perceived health were: pain (0.629), sleep quality (0.595), breathlessness (0.549), fatigue (0.542) and depression (0.526). Health conditions ranked well below symptoms and lifestyle variables. Low levels of symptoms, good sleep quality, regular exercise, alcohol consumption and a body mass index between 22 and 28 were associated with better self-perceived health. CONCLUSIONS Symptoms are more strongly related to self-perceived health than health conditions, which suggests that the impacts of health conditions are mediated through symptoms, which could be important targets to improve self-perceived health. Machine learning offers a new way to assess composite constructs such as well-being or quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Olsson
- Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Lunds University Faculty of Medicine, Lund, Sweden
| | - David C Currow
- Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Magnus Per Ekström
- Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Lunds University Faculty of Medicine, Lund, Sweden
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Olsson M, Ekström M. Validation of the Dyspnoea-12 and Multidimensional Dyspnea profile among older Swedish men in the population. BMC Geriatr 2022; 22:477. [PMID: 35655151 PMCID: PMC9164708 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-022-03166-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Dyspnoea-12 (D12) and Multidimensional dyspnea profile (MDP) are commonly used instruments for assessing multiple dimensions of breathlessness but have not been validated in older people in the population. The aim of this study was to validate the D12 and MDP in 73-years old men in terms of the instruments’ underlying factor structures, internal consistency, and validity. Methods A postal survey was sent out to a population sample of 73-years old men (n = 1,193) in southern Sweden. The two-factor structures were evaluated with confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha, and validity using Pearson´s correlations with validated scales of breathlessness, anxiety, depression, fatigue, physical/mental quality of life, body mass index (BMI), and cardiorespiratory disease. Results A total 684 men were included. Respiratory and cardiovascular disease were reported by 17% and 38%, respectively. For D12 and MDP, the proposed two-factor structure was not fully confirmed in this population. Internal consistency was excellent for all D12 and MDP domain scores (Cronbach's alpha scores > 0.92), and the instruments’ domains showed concurrent validity with other breathlessness scales, and discriminant validity with anxiety, depression, physical/mental quality of life, BMI, and cardiorespiratory disease. Conclusions In a population sample of 73-years old men, the D12 and MDP had good psychometrical properties in terms of reliability and validity, which supports that the instruments are valid for use in population studies of older men. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-022-03166-5.
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Kochovska S, Currow D, Chang S, Johnson M, Ferreira D, Morgan D, Olsson M, Ekström M. Persisting breathlessness and activities reduced or ceased: a population study in older men. BMJ Open Respir Res 2022; 9:9/1/e001168. [PMID: 35606021 PMCID: PMC9125752 DOI: 10.1136/bmjresp-2021-001168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Breathlessness is debilitating and increases in prevalence with age, with people progressively reducing their everyday activities to ‘self-manage’ it. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of breathlessness on function in terms of activities that have been reduced or ceased (‘compromised’) in older men. Methods A cross-sectional postal survey of Swedish 73-year-old man in the VAScular and Chronic Obstructive Lung disease study self-reporting on demographics, breathlessness (modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale, Dyspnoea-12, Multidimensional Dyspnea Scale) and its duration, anxiety/depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), performance status (WHO Performance Status), everyday activities reduced/ceased and exertion. Results 148/828 (17.9%) respondents reported breathlessness (mMRC >2), of whom 51.9% had reduced/ceased activities compared with 9.6% who did not. Physical activity was the most common activity reduced/ceased (48.0%) followed by sexual activity (41.2%) and social activities (37.8%). Of 16.0% of respondents with mMRC 3–4 talking on the phone was affected compared with only 2.9% of respondents with mMRC 2. Worsening breathlessness was associated with increasingly sedentary lifestyles and more limited function, those reporting reduced/ceased activities had an associated increase in reporting anxiety and depression. In adjusted analyses, breathlessness was associated with increased likelihood of activities being ceased overall as well as physical and sexual activities being affected separately. Conclusion Worsening breathlessness was associated with decreasing levels of self-reported physical activity, sexual activity and function. Overall, the study showed that people with persisting breathlessness modify their lifestyle to avoid it by reducing or ceasing a range of activities, seeking to minimise their exposure to the symptom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Slavica Kochovska
- Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- IMPACCT, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - David Currow
- Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sungwon Chang
- IMPACCT, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Miriam Johnson
- Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - Diana Ferreira
- Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Deidre Morgan
- Palliative and Supportive Services, RePaDD, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Max Olsson
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Magnus Ekström
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Olsson M, Currow DC, Johnson MJ, Sandberg J, Engström G, Ekström M. Prevalence and severity of differing dimensions of breathlessness among elderly males in the population. ERJ Open Res 2021; 8:00553-2021. [PMID: 35141316 PMCID: PMC8819243 DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00553-2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Breathlessness is common in the general population. Existing data were obtained primarily with the uni-dimensional modified Medical Research Council breathlessness scale (mMRC) that does not assess intensities of unpleasantness nor physical, emotional and affective dimensions. The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence and intensity of these dimensions of breathlessness in elderly males and any associations with their duration, change over time and mMRC grade. We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study of 73-year-old males in a county in southern Sweden. Breathlessness was self-reported at one time point using a postal survey including the Dyspnea-12 (D-12), the Multidimensional Dyspnea Profile (MDP) and the mMRC. Presence of an increased dimension score was defined as a score ≥minimal clinically important difference for each dimension scale. Association with the mMRC, recalled change since age 65, and duration of breathlessness were analysed with linear regression. Among 907 men, an increased dimension score was present in 17% (D-12 total score), 33% (MDP A1 unpleasantness), 19% (D-12 physical), 17% (MDP immediate perception), 10% (D-12 affective) and 17% (MDP emotional response). The unpleasantness and affective dimensions were strongly associated with mMRC≥3. Higher MDP and D-12 scores were associated with worsening of breathlessness since age 65, and higher MDP A1 unpleasantness was associated with breathlessness of less than 1 year duration. Increased scores of several dimensions of breathlessness are prevalent in 73-year-old males and are positively correlated with mMRC scores, worsening of breathlessness after age 65, and duration of less than 1 year. This first epidemiological study of multidimensional breathlessness shows that unpleasant, physical, affective and emotional experiences of breathlessness are common among elderly males, and are strongly associated with mMRC ≥3https://bit.ly/3EThp5a
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Cristea L, Olsson M, Currow D, Johnson M, Sandberg J, Ekström M. Breathlessness dimensions association with physical and mental quality of life: the population based VASCOL study of elderly men. BMJ Open Respir Res 2021; 8:8/1/e000990. [PMID: 34740943 PMCID: PMC8573661 DOI: 10.1136/bmjresp-2021-000990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Breathlessness is a multidimensional symptom prevalent in elderly affecting many aspects of life. We aimed to determine how different dimensions of breathlessness are associated with physical and mental quality of life (QoL) in elderly men. Methods This was a cross-sectional, population-based analysis of 672 men aged 73 years in a Swedish county. Breathlessness was assessed using Dyspnoea-12 (D-12) and Multidimensional Dyspnoea Profile (MDP), and QoL using the Short Form 12 physical and mental scores. Scores were compared as z-scores across scales and analysed using multivariable linear regression, adjusted for smoking, body mass index and the presence of respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Results Worse breathlessness was related to worse physical and mental QoL across all the D-12 and MDP dimension scores. Physical QoL was most strongly associated with perceptional breathlessness scores, D-12 total and physical scores (95% CI −0.45 to −0.30). Mental QoL was more strongly influenced by affective responses, MDP emotional response score (95% CI −0.61 to −0.48). Head-to-head comparison of the instruments confirmed that D-12 total and physical scores most influenced physical QoL, while mental QoL was mostly influenced by the emotional responses captured by the MDP. Conclusion Breathlessness dimensions and QoL measures are associated differently. Physical QoL was most closely associated with sensory and perceptual breathlessness dimensions, while emotional responses were most strongly associated with mental QoL in elderly men. D-12 and MDP contribute complimentary information, where affective and emotional responses may be related to function, deconditioning and QoL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Cristea
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Max Olsson
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - David Currow
- Faculty of Heath, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Miriam Johnson
- Hull York Medical School, The University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - Jacob Sandberg
- Center for Primary Health Care Research, Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Lunds Universitet, Lund, Sweden
| | - Magnus Ekström
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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