OBJECTIVE: Knowledge about the range of symptoms experienced by patients with SSc, and their impact on daily functioning is limited. The objective of the present study was to identify symptoms of SSc that patients rated as frequent and that highly impacted their ability to carry out daily activities. METHODS: A total of 464 persons with SSc responded to the Canadian Scleroderma Patient Survey of Health Concerns and Research Priorities, including questions regarding the frequency and impact of 69 SSc symptoms. Descriptive analyses were performed dichotomizing symptom frequencies as never or rarely vs sometimes, most of the time or always and symptom impact on daily activities as no or minimal impact vs moderate to severe impact. RESULTS: The five highest rated symptoms in terms of frequency and moderate to severe impact on daily activities, respectively, were: fatigue (89 and 72%), RP (86 and 67%), hand stiffness (81 and 59%), joint pain (81 and 64%) and difficulty sleeping (76 and 59%). In addition to these symptoms, items related to decreased hand function (difficulty making a fist and difficulty holding objects) and pain (muscle pain and joint tenderness) were frequently endorsed and commonly associated with moderate to severe impact on daily activities. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed the importance for quality of life of core symptoms of SSc, such as pain, fatigue and limitations in hand function. It also identified areas with very little research, such as sleep problems, that appear to play important roles in daily functioning, and that merit more focused study.
OBJECTIVE: Knowledge about the range of symptoms experienced by patients with SSc, and their impact on daily functioning is limited. The objective of the present study was to identify symptoms of SSc that patients rated as frequent and that highly impacted their ability to carry out daily activities. METHODS: A total of 464 persons with SSc responded to the Canadian SclerodermaPatient Survey of Health Concerns and Research Priorities, including questions regarding the frequency and impact of 69 SSc symptoms. Descriptive analyses were performed dichotomizing symptom frequencies as never or rarely vs sometimes, most of the time or always and symptom impact on daily activities as no or minimal impact vs moderate to severe impact. RESULTS: The five highest rated symptoms in terms of frequency and moderate to severe impact on daily activities, respectively, were: fatigue (89 and 72%), RP (86 and 67%), hand stiffness (81 and 59%), joint pain (81 and 64%) and difficulty sleeping (76 and 59%). In addition to these symptoms, items related to decreased hand function (difficulty making a fist and difficulty holding objects) and pain (muscle pain and joint tenderness) were frequently endorsed and commonly associated with moderate to severe impact on daily activities. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed the importance for quality of life of core symptoms of SSc, such as pain, fatigue and limitations in hand function. It also identified areas with very little research, such as sleep problems, that appear to play important roles in daily functioning, and that merit more focused study.
Authors: Beth Wallace; Suzanne Kafaja; Daniel E Furst; Veronica J Berrocal; Peter A Merkel; James R Seibold; Maureen D Mayes; Dinesh Khanna Journal: Rheumatology (Oxford) Date: 2015-02-09 Impact factor: 7.580
Authors: Brett D Thombs; Lisa R Jewett; Shervin Assassi; Murray Baron; Susan J Bartlett; Angela Costa Maia; Ghassan El-Baalbaki; Daniel E Furst; Karen Gottesman; Jennifer A Haythornthwaite; Marie Hudson; Ann Impens; Annett Korner; Catarina Leite; Maureen D Mayes; Vanessa L Malcarne; Sarosh J Motivala; Luc Mouthon; Warren R Nielson; Diane Plante; Serge Poiraudeau; Janet L Poole; Janet Pope; Maureen Sauve; Russell J Steele; Maria E Suarez-Almazor; Suzanne Taillefer; Cornelia H van den Ende; Erin Arthurs; Marielle Bassel; Vanessa Delisle; Katherine Milette; Allison Leavens; Ilya Razykov; Dinesh Khanna Journal: Clin Exp Rheumatol Date: 2012-05-29 Impact factor: 4.473
Authors: Linda Kwakkenbos; Brett D Thombs; Dinesh Khanna; Marie-Eve Carrier; Murray Baron; Daniel E Furst; Karen Gottesman; Frank van den Hoogen; Vanessa L Malcarne; Maureen D Mayes; Luc Mouthon; Warren R Nielson; Serge Poiraudeau; Robert Riggs; Maureen Sauvé; Fredrick Wigley; Marie Hudson; Susan J Bartlett Journal: Rheumatology (Oxford) Date: 2017-08-01 Impact factor: 7.580
Authors: Daniel R Machin; Heather L Clifton; Ryan S Garten; Jayson R Gifford; Russell S Richardson; D Walter Wray; Tracy M Frech; Anthony J Donato Journal: Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol Date: 2016-09-30 Impact factor: 4.733
Authors: John D Pauling; Tracy M Frech; Michael Hughes; Jessica K Gordon; Robyn T Domsic; Marina E Anderson; Francesca Ingegnoli; Neil J McHugh; Sindhu R Johnson; Marie Hudson; Francesco Boin; Voon H Ong; Marco Matucci-Cerinic; Nezam Altorok; Marina Scolnik; Mandana Nikpour; Ankoor Shah; Janet E Pope; Dinesh Khanna; Ariane L Herrick Journal: J Scleroderma Relat Disord Date: 2018-05-24
Authors: Stefan Schanz; Jörg Henes; Anja Ulmer; Ina Kötter; Gerhard Fierlbeck; C D Claussen; Marius Horger Journal: Eur Radiol Date: 2012-07-29 Impact factor: 5.315