Factors Affecting Quality of Life in Adolescents Living With Type 2 Diabetes: A Substudy of the Improving Renal Complications in Adolescents With Type 2 Diabetes Through REsearch (iCARE) Cohort

OBJECTIVES

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) disproportionately impacts adolescents living in challenging socioeconomic conditions. However, the impacts of T2D on quality of life (QOL) in this context are unknown. Our aim in this study was to evaluate QOL and identify its biological, psychological, and social determinants among adolescents living with and without T2D from similar sociodemographic backgrounds. Relationships between glycemic stability, early complications, and treatments of T2D and QOL were also examined.

METHODS

Ninety-two adolescents with T2D and 59 at-risk controls were included from the Improving Renal Complications in Adolescents With Type 2 Diabetes Through Research (iCARE) cohort. The main outcome was QOL (Pediatric QOL Inventory [PedsQL]). Biological covariates included age, sex, body mass index z score, glycated hemoglobin, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Psychological factors included perceived stress (14-item Perceived Stress Scale) and mental distress (6-item Kessler scale). Social factors included food security (Household Food Security Survey Module) and income quintile. Multivariate linear regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with QOL between adolescents with and without T2D, and within the T2D cohort.

RESULTS

Mean total QOL scores among adolescents with T2D were lower than in controls (67.0±14.8 vs 71.7±16.2, p=0.04). Age, sex, and percent Indigenous ethnicity were not significantly different between groups. Mean duration of T2D was 2.3±2.0 years. In the multivariate analysis, QOL was not associated with diabetes status, but negative associations were seen between mental distress (β=-1.46, p<0.001) and food insecurity QOL (β=-6.26, p=0.037). No differences were seen between biological factors and QOL in either analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant factors associated with decreased QOL in adolescents living with T2D include mental distress and food insecurity, indicating areas for targeted intervention.

Preferences for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus for Medications in Shandong Province, China: A Discrete Choice Experiment

PURPOSE

To evaluate preferences for medications among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from urban community health stations or rural village clinics in Shandong province, China.

METHODS

We use a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to measure the medication preferences. Each patient completed six DCE choice sets. The attributes for the DCE questionnaire include mode of administration, out-of-pocket medication cost per month, fasting blood glucose control effect and frequency of hypoglycemia events. The conditional logit model (Clogit) and mixed logit model (MXL) were used to evaluate choice data.

RESULTS

A total of 887 patients with T2DM completed the survey. The mean age of participants was 64 years, 36.42% experienced complications, and the mean duration of diabetes was about 8 years. Overall, patients' ideal medication would not have hypoglycemia events, provide normal fasting glucose levels, have oral medication three times a day and lower monthly medication cost. Patients prioritized the frequency of hypoglycemia events (β=15.055, P < 0.01) and were willing to spend CNY 393.10 per month to avoid hypoglycemia events. For patients with higher educational levels and with longer diagnosis time, the effect of fasting blood glucose was more relevant than all other outcomes.

CONCLUSION

This study provides information on T2DM patients' preference for medications. Our results suggest that clinical doctors should present patients with a variety of pharmaceutical characteristics and include their preference into medication decision, which will improve patient adherence and health outcomes.

Comparison of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life (ADDQoL) in Patients with T2DM in Poland, The Czech Republic, and Slovakia

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the paper was to perform a comparative analysis of the impact of T2DM on QoL, including specific ADDQoL domains and associations between QoL, selected socio-demographic factors (including gender, age, education, residence, marital status, professional activity) or clinical parameters (HbA1c levels, fasting blood glucose, BMI, duration of DM, complications, treatment used), in adult diabetic patients from Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The study group included 608 patients diagnosed with T2DM. There were 214 patients from Poland, 196 from the Czech Republic and 198 from Slovakia.

RESULTS

Overall, respondents from all three countries rated their QoL as good or very good. The mean scores for the item "If I did not have diabetes, my quality of life would be" were slightly higher for Poles than for Slovaks and Czechs. In the ADDQoL results, the weighted impact scores were negative for all domains. The lowest scores in all three countries were found for "freedom to eat" for all patients; the highest for "living conditions". For Polish patients, the linear regression model demonstrated the following significant AWI predictors: pre-university education and past smoking. For Czech patients, the linear regression model demonstrated that none of the characteristics analyzed were significant independent predictors of AWI. In the For Slovak patients, the linear regression model demonstrated the following significant AWI predictors: higher education and concurrent heart failure.

CONCLUSION

In summary, our findings demonstrate that T2DM has a negative impact on all aspects of patients' QoL, which is the strongest in terms of the freedom to eat and dietary habits, regardless of the country. Education, past smoking, and concurrent heart failure were the only independent predictors of QoL in our study. This suggests a need for further research that would include more variables and a larger number of patients.

Quality of life assessment in patients with HNF1A-MODY and GCK-MODY

AIM

The impact of maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) on quality of life (QoL) has never been examined. We assessed disease impact on QoL among patients with HNF1A-MODY and GCK mutation carrier status.

METHODS

The study included 80 patients with HNF1A-MODY and 89 GCK gene mutation carriers. We also examined 128 type 1 diabetes (T1DM) patients for comparison. Diabetes-specific QoL was assessed using the Audit of Diabetes Dependent Quality of Life questionnaire.

RESULTS

HNF1A-MODY and GCK-MODY groups had similar mean age (41.7 vs. 38.0 years, respectively) and BMI (24.1 vs. 24.3 kg/m²), whereas T1DM patients were on average younger (34.2 years) with similar BMI (25.0 kg/m²). Less than a third of GCK mutation carriers were on pharmacotherapy (n = 20, 31%), while the majority of HNF1A mutation carriers used oral drugs or insulin (n = 66, 82.5%). While current QoL was similar across the three groups (p = 0.66), two other major indices-the impact of diabetes on QoL and the average weighted impact (AWI)-differed among them (p < 0.001 for both comparisons). The impact of diabetes on patient QoL and AWI observed in both MODY groups was smaller than in T1DM. Etiological diagnosis of diabetes and a diagnosis of retinopathy were the only independent factors influencing the impact of diabetes on QoL and AWI in regression analysis. In HNF1A-MODY, all three major indices of QoL were more heavily influenced for patients on insulin in comparison to other treatment sub-groups.

CONCLUSION

MODY has a smaller negative impact on QoL compared to T1DM. Mode of treatment further stratifies QoL decline for HNF1A-MODY subjects.

Valuing injection frequency and other attributes of type 2 diabetes treatments in Australia: a discrete choice experiment

BACKGROUND

Multiple pharmacotherapy options are available to control blood glucose in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Patients and prescribers may have different preferences for T2DM treatment attributes, such as mode and frequency of administration, based on their experiences and beliefs which may impact adherence. As adherence is a pivotal issue in diabetes therapy, it is important to understand what patients value and how they trade-off the risks and benefits of new treatments. This study aims to investigate the key drivers of choice for T2DM treatments, with a focus on injection frequency, and explore patients' associated willingness-to-pay.

METHODS

A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was used to present patients with a series of trade-offs between different treatment options, injectable and oral medicines that were made up of 10 differing levels of attributes (frequency and mode of administration, weight change, needle type, storage, nausea, injection site reactions, hypoglycaemic events, instructions with food and cost). A sample of 171 Australian consenting adult T2DM patients, of which 58 were receiving twice-daily injections of exenatide and 113 were on oral glucose-lowering treatments, completed the national online survey. An error components model was used to estimate the relative priority and key drivers of choice patients place on different attributes and to estimate their willingness to pay for new treatments.

RESULTS

Injection frequency, weight change, and nausea were shown to be important attributes for patients receiving injections. Within this cohort, a once-weekly injection generated an additional benefit over a twice-daily injection, equivalent to a weighted total willingness to pay of AUD$22.35 per month.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the patient preferences, the importance of frequency of administration and other non-health benefits can be valued. Understanding patient preferences has an important role in health technology assessment, as the identification of the value as well as the importance weighting for each treatment attribute may assist with funding decisions beyond clinical trial outcomes.

The impact of asthma on the cost effectiveness of surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps

BACKGROUND

The objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of asthma on the cost-effectiveness profile of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) compared to medical therapy for patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP).

METHODS

The study design consisted of a cohort-style Markov decision-tree cost utility analysis with a 35-year time horizon. Matched cohorts of CRSwNP patients with (n = 95) and without (n = 95) asthma who underwent ESS were compared with cohorts of patients from the national Medical Expenditures Survey Panel (MEPS) database who underwent medical management for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Baseline, 1-year, and 2-year health utility values were calculated from responses to the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) instrument in both cohorts. The primary outcome measure was the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) for each cohort.

RESULTS

The reference cases for CRSwNP patients with and without asthma yielded ICERs for ESS vs medical therapy alone of $12,066 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) and $7,369 per QALY, respectively. At a willingness-to-pay threshold of $50,000/QALY, the ICER scatter plots demonstrated 86% and 99% certainty that the ESS strategy was the most cost-effective option for CRSwNP patients with and without asthma, respectively. ESS was not significantly more cost effective for CRSwNP patients without asthma (p = 0.494).

CONCLUSION

ESS remains cost effective compared to medical therapy for patients both with and without asthma. While the comorbidity of asthma results in an inferior ICER result, it does not result in a statistically significant negative impact on the overall cost effectiveness of ESS.

The value of frontal sinusotomy for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps-A cost utility analysis

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS

The number of surgical procedures performed for frontal sinusitis and the associated costs have increased dramatically over the past decade. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of endoscopic frontal sinusotomy (EFS) in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP).

STUDY DESIGN

Cohort-style Markov decision-tree economic model with a 36-year time horizon.

METHODS

Matched cohorts of CRSwNP patients who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) with (n = 139) and without (n = 49) EFS were compared to each other and to patients (n = 139) from the Medical Expenditures Survey Panel database who underwent medical management for chronic rhinosinusitis. Multi-year health utility values were calculated from responses to the EuroQol 5-Dimension instrument. The primary outcome measure was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER).

RESULTS

Decision analysis showed that ESS without EFS proved more cost-effective than ESS with EFS or medical management. ESS without EFS compared to medical management yielded an ICER of $9,004/quality-adjusted life year (QALY). ESS with EFS compared to ESS without EFS yielded an ICER of $62,310/QALY. At a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $50,000/QALY, ESS without EFS was more cost-effective than ESS with EFS with 52.1% certainty. These results were robust to one-way analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

ESS remains a cost-effective intervention compared to medical therapy alone for patients with CRSwNP. In this study, the addition of frontal sinusotomy during ESS for patients with CRSwNP was not found to be cost-effective at a WTP threshold of $50,000/QALY, but may be cost effective at a higher threshold of $100,000/QALY.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

2c. Laryngoscope, 128:43-51, 2018.

Cost utility analysis of endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis with and without nasal polyposis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) compared to medical therapy for patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with and without nasal polyposis (NP).

STUDY DESIGN

Cohort-style Markov decision-tree economic model with a 36-year time horizon.

METHODS

Two cohorts of 229 CRS patients with and without NP who underwent ESS were compared with a matched cohort of 229 CRS patients from the Medical Expenditures Survey Panel database (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD) who underwent medical management. Utility scores were calculated from sequential patient responses to the EuroQol five-dimensions questionnaire. Decision-tree analysis and a 10-state Markov model utilized published event probabilities and primary data to calculate long-term costs and utility. The primary outcome was the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Thorough sensitivity analyses were performed.

RESULTS

The reference case for CRS with NP yielded an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for ESS versus medical therapy of $5,687.41/QALY. The reference case for CRS without NP yielded an ICER of $5,405.44/QALY. The cost-effectiveness acceptability curve in both cases demonstrated 95% certainty that the ESS strategy was the most cost-effective option at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $20,000/QALY or higher. These results were robust to one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analysis.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the cost-effectiveness of ESS compared to medical therapy alone for the management of CRS patients both with and without NP. The presence of nasal polyps was not found to affect the overall cost-effectiveness of ESS.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

2C. Laryngoscope, 127:29-37, 2017.

Diabetes-dependent quality of life (ADDQOL) and affecting factors in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 in Greece

Background

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2D) is a chronic metabolic disease with a great impact on health status and quality of life (QoL) in terms of physical, social, and psychological well-being. The aim of the present study was to measure diabetes-dependent QoL and affecting factors in patients with T2D.

Methods

Study population was consisted by 258 subjects with T2D attending diabetic outpatient clinics of General Hospitals of Piraeus “Tzaneio” and Nikaia “Ag.Panteleimon” during September–December 2014. The Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life questionnaire was carried out in all study participants.

Results

Diabetes mellitus type 2 had a negative impact to QoL in 37.3 % of the study participants while 32.9 % believed that their life would have been better without the presence of T2D. Diabetes had negative impact on working life (−1.3 ± 0.6), health status (−1.3 ± 0.2), family (−1.3 ± 0.6) and sexual life (−1.3 ± 0.3), future perspectives (−1.3 ± 0.4) and dietary habits (−1.7 ± 0.2). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that QoL was related with age [odds ratio (OR) 0.94, 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) 0.91–1.98, P = 0.008] and marital status (OR 0.43, 95 %CIs 0.21–0.90, P = 0.03).

Conclusions

The results of the present study showed that T2D per se has a negative impact to patient’s QoL most of all affecting working life, health status, family and sexual life, future perspectives and dietary habits. Age and marital status were the only determinants of QoL.

Negative effects of diabetes-related distress on health-related quality of life: an evaluation among the adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in three primary healthcare clinics in Malaysia

BACKGROUND

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) often experienced change in life, altered self-esteem and increased feelings of uncertainty about the future that challenge their present existence and their perception of quality of life (QoL). There was a dearth of data on the association between diabetes-related distress (DRD) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study examined the determinants of HRQoL, in particular the association between DRD and HRQoL by taking into account the socio-demographic-clinical variables, including depressive symptoms (DS) in adult patients with T2D.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2012-2013 in three public health clinics in Malaysia. The World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief (WHOQOL-BREF), 17-items Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS-17), and 9-items Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were used to measure HRQoL, DRD and DS, respectively. The aim of this research was to examine the association between the socio-demographic-clinical variables and HRQoL as well as each of the WHOQOL-BREF domain score using multivariable regression analyses.

RESULTS

The response rate was 93.1% (700/752). The mean (SD) for age was 56.9 (10.18). The majority of the patients were female (52.8%), Malay (53.1%) and married (79.1%). About 60% of the patients had good overall HRQoL. The mean (SD) for Overall QoL, Physical QoL, Psychological QoL, Social Relationship QoL and Environmental QoL were 61.7 (9.86), 56.7 (10.64), 57.9 (11.73), 66.8 (15.01) and 65.3 (13.02), respectively. The mean (SD) for the total DDS-17 score was 37.1 (15.98), with 19.6% (136/694) had moderate distress. DDS-17 had a negative association with HRQoL but religiosity had a positive influence on HRQoL (B ranged between 3.07 and 4.76). Women, especially younger Malays, who had diabetes for a shorter period of time experienced better HRQoL. However, patients who were not married, had dyslipidaemia, higher levels of total cholesterol and higher PHQ-9 scores had lower HRQoL. Macrovascular complications showed the largest negative effect on the overall HRQoL (adjusted B = -4.98, 95% CI -8.56 to -1.40).

CONCLUSION

The majority of primary care adult with T2D had good overall HRQoL. Furthermore, the independent determinants for HRQoL had also concurred with many past studies. In addition, the researchers found that DRD had negative effects on HRQoL, but religiosity had positive influence on HRQoL. Appropriate support such as primary care is needed for adult patients with T2D to improve their life and their HRQoL.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NMRR-12-1167-14158.

Review of patient-reported outcome instruments measuring health-related quality of life and satisfaction in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with oral therapy

OBJECTIVE

Treatments and their mode of administration may represent a burden for patients and can therefore impact their health-related quality of life (HRQL) or treatment/health satisfaction. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can be treated with oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs), injectable medications (such as insulin), or a combination of agents. This review aimed to identify patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments measuring HRQL and/or satisfaction that could differentiate between oral medications based on medication related attributes such as efficacy, tolerability, weight loss, dosing frequency and pill burden.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library and the Patient-Reported Outcome and Quality of Life Questionnaires (PROQOLID) biomedical databases were searched to identify instruments and document their development methodology, content and psychometric properties (i.e. validity, reliability), responsiveness and ability to detect changes between treatments.

RESULTS

Nineteen instruments were retained based on their potential to differentiate between OHAs. Ten instruments assessed HRQL, amongst which the Audit of Diabetes Dependent Quality of Life, Diabetes 39, Diabetes Health Profile and Impact of Weight on Quality of Life displayed good psychometric properties in T2DM populations and comprehensive HRQL content. Nine instruments assessed satisfaction. Both the Oral Hypoglycemic Agent Questionnaire (OHAQ) and Diabetes Medication Satisfaction (DiabMedSat) Questionnaire have highly relevant content regarding drug attributes. The OHAQ is specific to oral treatment and the DiabMedSat includes HRQL items. The Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire is a standard instrument that is extensively used and provides conclusive results in studies of patients with T2DM.

CONCLUSIONS

Very few of the existing PRO instruments are specific to OHAs. Despite satisfaction instruments being recommended to differentiate between OHAs in studies of T2DM based on medication attributes, we find that none of the existing instruments appear to be useful in detecting differences between treatments, therefore limiting their use in clinical and observational research.

Association of sleep quality and quality of life in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study in China

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to investigate sleep quality and quality of life, and to assess the relationship between sleep quality and quality of life in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

944 patients with T2DM were enrolled in our study. General characteristics and laboratory testing such as glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were measured. Each patient completed a Chinese version of the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and the diabetes specificity quality of life scale (DSQL) questionnaires. A PSQI global score >7 was defined as poor sleep quality. A global DSQL score <40 was defined as a good quality of life. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between PSQI and DSQL.

RESULTS

Poor quality of life in participants was associated with a longer duration of diabetes, a greater number of diabetes complications, no alcohol drinking, poor glycemic control and having depression and anxiety (all P<0.001). Of the participants, 33.6% of them were poor sleepers according to their PSQI. Poor sleepers had significantly lower DSQL (P<001). After adjustment for confounders, poor sleep quality was positively associated with a lower health-related quality of life (OR: 3.67, 95% CI: 1.30-10.33, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that poor sleep is prevalent in T2DM and inversely associated with quality of life. It is necessary for primary health-care workers to include sleep related knowledge in diabetes self-management programs to improve sleep quality in diabetes patients.

Unhealthy days and quality of life in Irish patients with diabetes

OBJECTIVES

To study the determinants of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Irish patients with diabetes using the Centres for Disease Controls' (CDC's) 'Unhealthy Days' summary measure and to assesses the agreement between this generic HRQoL measure and the disease-specific Audit of Diabetes Dependant Quality of Life (ADDQoL) measure.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Data were analysed from the Diabetes Quality of Life Study, a cross-sectional study of 1,456 people with diabetes in Ireland (71% response rate). Unhealthy days were assessed using the CDC's 'Unhealthy days' summary measure. Quality of life (QoL) was also assessed using the ADDQoL measure. Analyses were conducted primarily using logistic regression. The agreement between the two QoL instruments was measured using the kappa co-efficient.

RESULTS

Participants reported a median of 2 unhealthy days per month. In multivariate analyses, female gender (P = 0.001), insulin use (P = 0.030), diabetes complications (P = <0.001) were significantly associated with more unhealthy days. Older patients had fewer unhealthy days per month (P = 0.003). Agreement between the two measures of QoL (unhealthy days measure and ADDQoL) was poor, Kappa = 0.234.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlight the determinants of HRQoL in patients with diabetes using a generic HRQoL summary measure. The 'Unhealthy Days' and the ADDQoL have poor agreement, therefore the 'Unhealthy Days' summary measure may be assessing a different construct. Nonetheless, this study demonstrates that the generic 'Unhealthy Days' summary measure can be used to detect determinants of HRQoL in patients with diabetes.

Mental health issues decrease diabetes-specific quality of life independent of glycaemic control and complications: findings from Australia's living with diabetes cohort study

Background

While factors associated with health-related quality of life for people with chronic diseases including diabetes are well researched, far fewer studies have investigated measures of disease-specific quality of life. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of complications and comorbidities on diabetes-specific quality of life in a large population-based cohort of type 2 diabetic patients.

Methods

The Living with Diabetes Study recruited participants from the National Diabetes Services Scheme in Australia. Data were collected via a mailed self-report questionnaire. Diabetes-specific quality of life was measured using the Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life (ADDQoL) questionnaire. The analyses are for 3609 patients with type 2 diabetes. Regression models with adjustment for control variables investigated the association of complications and comorbidities with diabetes-specific quality of life. Next, the most parsimonious model for diabetes-specific quality of life after controlling for important covariates was examined.

Results

The expected associations with better diabetes-specific quality of life were evident, such as increased income, not on insulin, better glycaemic control and older age. However, being single and having been diagnosed with cancer were also associated with better ADDQoL. Additionally, poorer diabetes-specific quality of life was strongly sensitive to the presence of diabetes complications and mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. These relationships persisted after adjustment for gender, age, duration of diabetes, treatment regimen, sampling region and other treatment and socio-demographic variables.

Conclusions

A greater appreciation of the complexities of diabetes-specific quality of life can help tailor disease management and self-care messages given to patients. Attention to mental health issues may be as important as focusing on glycaemic control and complications. Therefore clinicians’ ability to identify and mange mental health issues and/or refer patients is critical to improving patients’ diabetes-specific quality of life.

The associations of body mass index with physical and mental aspects of health-related quality of life in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: results from a cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to determine the associations of various clinical factors with generic health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scores among Hong Kong Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the outpatient primary care setting using the short-form 12 (SF-12).

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of 488 Chinese adults with T2DM recruited from a primary care outpatient clinic was conducted from May to August 2008. Data on the standard Chinese (HK) SF-12 Health Survey and patients' socio-demographics were collected from face-to-face interviews. Glycaemic control, body mass index (BMI), chronic co-morbidities, diabetic complications and treatment modalities were determined for each patient through medical records. Associations of socio-demographic and clinical factors with physical component summary (PCS-12) and mental component summary scores (MCS-12) were evaluated using multiple linear regression.

RESULTS

The socio-demographic correlates of PCS-12 and MCS-12 were age, gender and BMI. After adjustment for socio-demographic variables, the BMI was negatively associated with PCS-12 but positively associated with MCS-12. The presence of diabetic complications was associated with lower PCS-12 (regression coefficient:-3.0 points, p < 0.05) while being on insulin treatment was associated with lower MCS-12 (regression coefficient:-5.8 points, p < 0.05). In contrast, glycaemic control, duration of T2DM and treatment with oral hypoglycaemic drugs were not significantly associated with PCS-12 or MCS-12.

CONCLUSIONS

Among T2DM subjects in the primary care setting, impairments in the physical aspect of HRQOL were evident in subjects who were obese or had diabetic complications whereas defects in the mental aspect of HRQOL were observed in patients with lower BMI or receiving insulin injections.

Living with diabetes: rationale, study design and baseline characteristics for an Australian prospective cohort study

Background

Diabetes mellitus is a major global public health threat. In Australia, as elsewhere, it is responsible for a sizeable portion of the overall burden of disease, and significant costs. The psychological and social impact of diabetes on individuals with the disease can be severe, and if not adequately addressed, can lead to the worsening of the overall disease picture. The Living With Diabetes Study aims to contribute to a holistic understanding of the psychological and social aspects of diabetes mellitus.

Methods/Design

The Living With Diabetes Study is a 5-year prospective cohort study, based in Queensland, Australia. The first wave of data, which was collected via a mailed self-report survey, was gathered in 2008, with annual collections thereafter. Measurements include: demographic, lifestyle, health and disease characteristics; quality of life (EQ-5D, ADDQoL); emotional well-being (CES-D, LOT-R, ESSI); disease self-management (PAM); and health-care utilisation and patient-assessed quality of care (PACIC). 29% of the 14,439 adults who were invited to participate in the study agreed to do so, yielding a sample size of 3,951 people.

Discussion

The data collected by the Living With Diabetes Study provides a good representation of Australians with diabetes to follow over time in order to better understand the natural course of the illness. The study has potential to further illuminate, and give a comprehensive picture of the psychosocial implications of living with diabetes. Data collection is ongoing.

Estimation of a valuation function for a diabetes mellitus-specific preference-based measure of health: the Diabetes Utility Index

Preference-based measures of health (PBMH) provide 'preference' or 'utility' weights that enable the calculation of QALYs for the economic evaluations of interventions. The Diabetes Utility Index (DUI) was developed as a brief, self-administered, diabetes mellitus-specific PBMH that can efficiently estimate patient-derived health state utilities. To describe the development of the valuation function for the DUI, and to report the validation results of the valuation function. Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT) was used as the framework to develop a valuation function for the DUI. Twenty of 768 possible health states of the DUI classified as anchor states, single-attribute level states including corner states, and marker states were selected and described for preference elicitation interviews. Visual analogue scale and standard gamble (SG) exercises were used to measure preferences from individuals with diabetes recruited from primary care and community settings in and around Morgantown, WV, USA for the 20 health states defined by combinations of DUI attributes and severity levels. Data collected in the interviews were used to develop a valuation function that calculates utilities for the DUI health states and calculates attribute-level utilities. A validation survey of the valuation function was conducted in collaboration with the West Virginia University (WVU) Diabetes Institute. A total of 100 individuals with diabetes were interviewed and their preferences for various DUI health states measured. From data generated in the interviews, a DUI valuation function was developed on a scale where 1.00 = perfect health (PH) and 0.00 = the all worse 'pits' state, and adjusted to yield utilities on the conventional scale 1.00 = PH and 0.00 = dead. A total of 396 patients with diabetes who received care at WVU clinics completed a DUI mail validation survey (response rate = 33%). Clinical data consisting of International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition, diagnosis codes and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA(1c)) values for the respondents were merged with their responses to the DUI. The utilities calculated by the scoring function of the DUI compared favourably to cardinal SG utilities for three DUI health states for which both assessments were available. The DUI utility function slightly underestimated actual SG utilities for mild and moderate health states (mean absolute difference = 0.05). There was a small but significant correlation between DUI utility scores and average past year HbA(1c) values (r = -0.30; p < 0.001). Respondents with two or more complications had significantly lower DUI utilities than those with no complications (p < 0.001) or one complication (p = 0.015). Insulin users had significantly lower DUI utilities than non-users (p < 0.001), and those with HbA(1c) values <7% had significantly higher DUI utilities than those with HbA(1c) values of >or=7% (p < 0.001). No significant association was found between DUI scores and age or sex. These results show evidence of the feasibility and validity of the DUI. Further research is suggested to demonstrate the generalizability of these findings, to study the responsiveness of the DUI, and to examine the clinical meaningfulness of DUI change scores.