[Health related to quality life of patients with hereditary angioedema in Argentina. A multicenter study]

OBJECTIVE

To describe health relaed quality of life in a cohort of stable adult outpatients with hereditary an-gioedema (HAE) with validated tools.

METHODS

An observational, cross-sectional, and descriptive study was performed, carried out in patients with hereditary angioedema, coming from the City of Buenos Aires and its provinces: Corrientes, Chubut, Entre Ríos and Santa Fe. The HAE-QoL and SF-12v2 health questionnaires were applied to assess the related quality of life. with health.

RESULTS

100 patients were included; median age: 41.5 years (range: 18-77); 65% were female, and 79% had type 1 HAE. Asymptomatic, mild, moderate and severe cases accounted for 6, 29, 38, and 27% of participants, respectively. Seventeen percent of patients were receiving long-term prophylaxis. Icatibant was the most fre-quent treatment for acute episodes. All health domains SF-12v2 scores were lower than expected in general population, excepting "vitality" and "physical functioning". Total and all specific domains HAE-QoL scores were reduced. Differences between women and men and in every age-defined group were demonstrated for sev-eral specific domains.

CONCLUSIONS

Health relaed to quality life was notably reduced in Argentinean patients with HAE, when imple-menting the HAE.QoL, and SF-12v2 questionnaries. The need for multidisciplinary strategies approaching this complex disease is highlighted.

Psychometric study of the SF-36v2 in hereditary angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency (C1-INH-HAE)

BACKGROUND

The generic 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36v2) has been used to assess health related quality of life in adult patients with hereditary angioedema due to C1-inhibitor deficiency (C1-INH-HAE) even though it has not yet been validated for use in this specific disease.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to validate the SF-36v2 for use in adult patients with C1-INH-HAE.

RESULTS

There was a very low item non-response rate (1-3.4%), with a high ceiling effect in 25/35 items and a low floor effect in 3/35 items. A moderate ceiling effect was observed in 5/8 dimensions of the SF-36v2, whereas no floor effect was noticed in any of the dimensions. Internal consistency was good to excellent with Cronbach's alpha coefficient ranging between 0.82 and 0.93 for the different dimensions. Construct validity was good: seven out of the 8 hypotheses defined on clinical criteria were confirmed, discriminant validity assessment showed significant differences among patients with different C1-INH-HAE severity, convergent validity showed a good correlation among the physical and mental component summaries of the SF-36v2 and the HAE-QoL total score (0.45 and 0.64 respectively, P < 0.001). Test-retest reliability was high with intraclass correlation coefficient varying from 0.758 to 0.962. The minimal clinically important difference was calculated by distribution methods and small differences in the domain scores and in the component summaries scores were shown to be meaningful.  CONCLUSIONS: The psychometric properties of the SF-36v2 show it can be a useful tool to assess HRQoL in adult patients with C1-INH-HAE, although with some content validity limitation.

METHODS

The psychometric properties of the SF-36v2 were evaluated in an international setting based on responses from 290 adult C1-INH-HAE patients in 11 countries.

Psychometric Field Study of Hereditary Angioedema Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adults: HAE-QoL

BACKGROUND

Hereditary angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency (C1-INH-HAE) may affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL). A specific HRQoL questionnaire for adult patients with C1-INH-HAE, the HAE-QoL, has recently been developed in Spain.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to perform a cross-cultural validation and psychometric study of the HAE-QoL in an international setting.

METHODS

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Spanish HAE-QoL draft version and an international rating phase with experts were performed. The resultant version of the HAE-QoL, a clinical questionnaire, and Short Form 36-item Health Survey Version 2.0 (SF-36v2) were pilot tested internationally. Item reduction was based on both descriptive and exploratory factor analysis. Psychometric properties were assessed.

RESULTS

Cross-cultural adaptation of the HAE-QoL was performed in 18 countries. The draft version of the HAE-QoL was pilot tested in 332 patients, and accurate data were obtained from 290 patients from 11 countries. The reduction process resulted in a new version with 25 items and 7 dimensions (treatment difficulties, physical functioning and health, disease-related stigma, emotional role and social functioning, concern about offspring, perceived control over illness, and mental health). Strong psychometric properties were observed (Cronbach's α 0.92; test-retest reliability 0.87). Convergent validity showed mild to moderate correlations with SF-36v2 physical and mental component summaries (0.45 and 0.64, respectively) and with SF-36v2 dimensions (P < .004). HAE-QoL scores discriminated significantly among severity groups (median: asymptomatic 133.5 vs severe 84.0; P < .001); between patients with and without long-term prophylaxis (median: 101 vs 90; P = .001); and between patients with and without psychiatric and/or psychological care (median: 74 vs 103; P ≤ .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The HAE-QoL, currently available in 18 languages, showed good reliability and validity evidence.