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Impact evaluation and association with EuroQol 5D health-related utility values in Ménière's disease

Pyykkö, Ilmari,Manchaiah, Vinaya,Levo, Hilla,Kentala, Erna

Abstract

The study was aimed at evaluating the validity of impact measures among patients with Ménière's disease (MD) with outcome variables of EuroQol generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures (i.e., EQ-5D) by using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and EQ-5D index values. 183 members (out of 200 contacted) of the Finish Ménière Association returned the questionnaires that they had filled out. Various open-ended and structured questionnaires focusing on diagnostic aspects of symptoms and impairment caused by the disease were used. For activity limitation and participation restriction, standardized questionnaires were used. Open-ended questions on impact of the disease were asked, and subsequently classified based on the WHO-ICF classification. The general HRQoL was evaluated with EQ-5D index value and EQ VAS instruments. Correlation and linear regression analyses were used to explore the association between HRQoL and other aspects. Based on the explanatory power of different models the disease specific semeionic model provides the most accurate prediction in EQ-5D index calculations (38 % of the variance explained). In EQ VAS scores, HRQoL is most accurately determined by participation restriction (53 % of the variance explained), but the worst prediction was in ICF-based limitations (8 % of the variance explained). Interestingly, attitude and personal trait explained the reduction of HRQoL somewhat better than ICF-based variables. Activity limitation and participation restrictions are significant components of MD, but are less frequently recognized as significant factors in self-evaluating the effect of MD on the quality of life. The current study results suggest that MD patients seem to have problem identifying factors causing activity limitation and participation restrictions and hence use the semiotic description focusing on complaints.

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Pyykkő e al. Sp inge Plus (2015) 4:717 DOI 10.1186/s40064-015-1527-0 RESEARCH Impac e alua ion andassocia ion wi hEu oQol 5D heal h- ela ed u ili y alues inMéniè e’s disease Ilma i Pyykkő1, Vinaya Manchaiah2,3,4* , Hilla Le o5 and E na Ken ala5 Abs ac The s udy was aimed a e alua ing he alidi y o impac measu es among pa ien s wi h Méniè e’s disease (MD) wi h ou come a iables o Eu oQol gene ic heal h- ela ed quali y o li e (HRQoL) measu es (i.e., EQ-5D) by using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and EQ-5D index alues. 183 membe s (ou o 200 con ac ed) o he Finish Méniè e Associa- ion e u ned he ques ionnai es ha hey had illed ou . Va ious open-ended and s uc u ed ques ionnai es ocus- ing on diagnos ic aspec s o symp oms and impai men caused by he disease we e used. Fo ac i i y limi a ion and pa icipa ion es ic ion, s anda dized ques ionnai es we e used. Open-ended ques ions on impac o he disease we e asked, and subsequen ly classi ied based on he WHO-ICF classi ica ion. The gene al HRQoL was e alua ed wi h EQ-5D index alue and EQ VAS ins umen s. Co ela ion and linea eg ession analyses we e used o explo e he asso- cia ion be ween HRQoL and o he aspec s. Based on he explana o y powe o di e en models he disease speci ic semeionic model p o ides he mos accu a e p edic ion in EQ-5D index calcula ions (38 % o he a iance explained). In EQ VAS sco es, HRQoL is mos accu a ely de e mined by pa icipa ion es ic ion (53 % o he a iance explained), bu he wo s p edic ion was in ICF-based limi a ions (8 % o he a iance explained). In e es ingly, a i ude and pe sonal ai explained he educ ion o HRQoL somewha be e han ICF-based a iables. Ac i i y limi a ion and pa icipa ion es ic ions a e signi ican componen s o MD, bu a e less equen ly ecognized as signi ican ac o s in sel -e alua ing he e ec o MD on he quali y o li e. The cu en s udy esul s sugges ha MD pa ien s seem o ha e p oblem iden i ying ac o s causing ac i i y limi a ion and pa icipa ion es ic ions and hence use he semio ic desc ip ion ocusing on complain s. Keywo ds: Méniè e’s disease, Quali y o li e, Eu oQol, EQ-5D, ICF, Ac i i y limi a ions, Pa icipa ion es ic ions © 2015 Pyykkő e al. This a icle is dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional License (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/), which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided you gi e app op ia e c edi o he o iginal au ho (s) and he sou ce, p o ide a link o he C ea i e Commons license, and indica e i changes we e made. Backg ound Méniè e’s disease (MD) is commonly app oached as an o gan speci ic disease o he inne ea , and is assessed based on e igo, inni us, and hea ing loss; al hough, he beha io al es ic ions a e a mo e ex ensi e (O ji 2014). Conside ing he di e si y o his condi ion, quan i ying he impac o disease- ela ed di icul ies on measu es o quali y o li e (QoL) and heal h s a us u ili y ep esen s a con inuing challenge o esea che s. QoL is he pe cei ed quali y o an indi idual’s daily li e, and i can be measu ed by using s anda dized ins u- men s. A good QoL in ela ion o an indi idual e e s o a pe son managing daily li e ac i i ies and social ela ion- ships well (Williams 1985). The heal h- ela ed quali y o li e (HRQoL) is mo e speci ic and is ela ed o physi- cal, men al, emo ional, and social unc ioning; how- e e , a heal h s a us e e s o a holis ic concep , which is de e mined by ac o s which a e mo e han he p es- ence o absence o any disease. I is o en summa ized by li e expec ancy o sel -assessed heal h s a us, and mo e b oadly includes indica ions o unc ioning, physical ill- ness, and men al well being. Al hough he de ini ions o hese wo cons uc s a e simila , QOL and heal h s a us a e dis inc cons uc s (Smi h e al. 1999). Fo example, Open Access *Co espondence: inaya.manchaiah@lama .edu 2 Depa men o Speech and Hea ing Sciences, Lama Uni e si y, Beaumon , TX, USA Full lis o au ho in o ma ion is a ailable a he end o he a icle Page 2 o 9 Pyykkő e al. Sp inge Plus (2015) 4:717 when a ing QOL, pa ien s gi e g ea e emphasis o men- al heal h han o physical unc ioning. Howe e , his pa - e n is e e sed o app aisals o heal h s a us, o which physical unc ioning is mo e impo an han men al heal h (Smi h e al. 1999). The impac o MD can be e alua ed by using com- plain s a ed on he basis o se e i y (Le o e al. 2010), by di e en impai men ques ionnai es (Le o e al. 2013), o by using disease speci ic measu es (S ephens e al. 2010; Ka o e al. 2004). Va ious gene al measu es ha e been used o assess he e ec on HRQoL on MD pa ien s (Le o e al. 2012; Ande son and Ha is 2001; Sode man e al. 2002; Ya dley e al. 2003), bu only a ew s udies ha e explo ed he ac o s associa ed and esul ing in educed QoL (Le o e al. 2012; Ande son and Ha is 2001; Kin- ney e al. 1997). The disease-speci ic ins umen s end o be mo e esponsi e o psychological s a es and o symp- oms o MD, as compa ed o gene al heal h measu es ha ocus on b oade aspec s o he condi ions (Ka o e al. 2004; Le o e al. 2012; Diaz e al. 2007). Howe e , he applica ion o gene al heal h- ela ed ins umen s may miss clinically signi ican changes in QoL in a spe- ci ic illness because he ques ions a e oo b oad (G een e al. 2007). Mo eo e , he QoL measu es also seem o be in luenced by a i ude owa d he illness, o example, posi i e hinking (S ephens e al. 2010). Hence, a mo e ocused app oach may be necessa y o unde s and he impac o he diso de . The Wo ld Heal h O ganisa ion (WHO) has ecom- mended he In e na ional Classi ica ion o Func ion- ing, Disabili y and Heal h (ICF) o be used o desc ibe he complex associa ion among ac o s such as impai - men , unc ioning, ac i i y limi a ions, and pa icipa ion es ic ions caused by a diso de on human well-being [Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion (WHO) 2001]. To pe o m such analysis in MD, Le o e al. (2010) used da a om open-ended ques ionnai es and classi ied he impai - men s wi h he ICF amewo k. The p edic ion o impac on QoL was less e icien when using ICF based classi i- ca ion when compa ed o using impai men ques ion- nai es, which deli e ed somewha di e en explana o y a iables (Le o e al. 2013; S ephens and Pyykko 2011). Also, i is impo an o no e ha using he ICF ame- wo k may p o ide much b oade unde s anding o he condi ion’s impac when compa ed o using disease-spe- ci ic ins umen s. The EQ-5D is a widely used su ey ins umen o measu ing economic p e e ences o heal h s a es. I is one o se e al such ins umen s ha can be used o de e mine he quali y-adjus ed li e yea s associa ed wi h a heal h s a e. When epo ing he gene al heal h EQ- 5D-3L (3L— e e ing o h ee le els in he esponse scale) esul s, usually ei he EQ-5D index alue o Visual Analogue Scale (EQ VAS) alue has been epo ed. The index alue and VAS e alua ions may di e be ween sub- jec s due o a ious easons as dynamic a ia ions o he disease (Bagus and Beale 2005). O he easons may be due o changes in social communica ion, pe sonal needs, and accep ance o he impai men . A be e knowledge o di e ences be ween VAS and EQ-5D index alues could help in ehabili a ion by p o iding unde s anding o he need o p ope enablemen p ocedu es o es o e he quali y o li e. Mo eo e , i is also impo an o unde - s and he ela ionship be ween di e en e alua ion app oaches (e.g., b oad s ocused) on he HRQoL. The aim o he cu en s udy was o e alua e he alidi y o impac measu es among pa ien s wi h MD wi h ou - come a iables o Eu oQol gene ic QoL (i.e., EQ-5D-3L) measu es by using VAS and index alue ins umen s. Me hod S udy design andpa icipan s Pe mission was ob ained om he Finnish Méniè e Fed- e a ion (FMF) o con ac hei membe s, asking hem o comple e an ex ensi e ques ionnai e on symp oms ela ed o MD. Unde Finnish law, his kind o ques ionnai e s udy pe o med in collabo a ion wi h pa ien associa ion does no need e hical app o al. Fo his pu pose, e e y six h name on hei membe ship lis was aken; hus, a sample composed o 200 indi iduals was con ac ed. They we e sen a 26-page ques ionnai e by mail as in ou p e- ious s udies (S ephens e al. 2010, 2012), oge he wi h a s amped and add essed en elope o hei esponses. Those no esponding wi hin 12weeks we e sen emind- e s. E e y e u ned ques ionnai e was examined; i he e we e missing da a, he esponden was con ac ed by el- ephone and asked o answe he unanswe ed ques ions so as o achie e comple e da a. In o al, 186 ou o 200 sen ques ionnai es we e e u ned, esul ing in a e u n a e o 93%; howe e , 3 ques ionnai es had signi ican amoun o missing alues and we e emo ed. The 183 pa icipan s had he mean age o 61.5, and he e we e 36 men and 147 women in he sample, e lec ing he gende sp ead in FMF. Ques ionnai es The o al ques ionnai e comp ised he Ve igo Ques ion- nai e (Ken ala 1996), he EQ-5D-3L measu e (Rabin and de Cha o 2001), he In e na ional Tinni us In en o y (ITI;Ché y-c oze and Colle 2005), The Hea ing Disabil- i y and Handicap Scale (HDHS;Philibe 1994), Localiza- ion ques ions based on he Hea ing Measu emen Scale (HMS;Chung and S ephens 1983), a Dizziness Handicap Ques ionnai e (DHQ;Ya dley e al. 1992), a Pa icipa- ion Res ic ion Scale (S ephens 2001), and he Sense o Cohe ence (SOC) Scale-Sho e sion (An ono sky and Sagy 1986). The e we e also some open-ended ques ions. Page 3 o 9 Pyykkő e al. Sp inge Plus (2015) 4:717 The speci ic es ic ion and unc ion limi a ion open- ended ques ion was wo ded as ollows: Please make a lis o he main e ec s ha you Méniè e’s disease has on you li e. W i e down as many as you can hink o . In his ask, i e lines we e indica ed o each subjec o ill. The ea e , he i ems we e classi ied based on ICF classi- ica ion [Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion (WHO) 2001]. The classi ica ion was done independen ly by wo esea ch- e s. Howe e , ou esea che s discussed he analysis and a consensus was achie ed in ela ion o ICF codes. F om he 183 subjec s, 176 epo ed some e ec s o MD ha esul ed in some unc ional limi a ion. The classi ica ion p o ided 64 di e en en i ies belonging o 6 main ca ego- ies (Le o e al. 2010). The indi iduals we e asked o a e he impac o MD by asking, “How much does Méniè e’s disease in luence in you li e?”. The ques ion was scaled in i e s eps anging om no a all o e y se e ely. This ques ion was used as an ou come measu e o disease speci ic impac o MD on li e. In addi ion, he e ec o ca dinal symp oms on MD, as e igo, gai , hea ing, inni us, p essu e in he ea , hype acusis, and possible o he diso de s we e also a ed in a i e s ep scale om no e ec o e y se e e e ec . In modelling o impai men ela ed o MD and i s es ic ions, we used Eu oQol gene al heal h meas- u e, he EQ-5D. The EQ-5D ins umen consis s o wo pa s: i e ques ions ela ing o he dis inc dimensions o a pa ien ’s unc ional capaci y mobili y, sel -ca e, usual ac i i ies, pain/discom o , and anxie y/dep ession) on each o which 3 esponses a e possible, and a isual analogue scale (VAS) on which he pa ien is asked o indica e a sel - a ing o hei cu en heal h s a e. The o me a e combined wi h weigh ings de i ed om a sample o he gene al Eu opean popula ion o p o ide a ‘social a i ’ EQ-5D index alue (Dolan e al. 1995). The la e cons i u es a mo e di ec indica o o pa ien s’ own implici p e e ences. You can ind mo e in o ma ion abou he ques ions and a ing scale used in he EQ-5D by isi ing hei websi e (h p://www.eu oqol.o g/). Da a analysis The associa ion be ween EQ-5D-3L and o he aspec s (e.g., symp oms, ac i i y limi a ions, e c.) was analysed i s by explo ing associa ions wi h he Pea son co ela ion ma ix and hen by using he linea eg ession analysis me hod. In EQ-5D index alue, each s a e o he i e heal h- ela ed dimensions is assigned a he h ee unc ional le els o no p oblem, some p oblem, and ex eme p oblem. Resul s Fo he whole popula ion, he a e age EQ-5D index alue alues and EQ VAS alues a e shown in Table1. I also p o ides he pe cen age o s udy samples in h ee unc- ional le els in he i e dimensions o he EQ-5D. Figu e1 p esen s he EQ-5D index alue and EQ-5D VAS alues in he cu en sample sugges ing skewness in he EQ-5D index alue alues, whe eas EQ VAS alues a e domina ed by an e en en h alue in he scale. When indi idual sco es a e agg ega ed o a popula- ion sample, he esul an unc ion is inhe en ly nonlin- ea . Figu es2 demons a es he EQ-5D index alue and VAS alues o di e en age g oups. In EQ-5D index al- ues, he e ec o age was no signi ican ly dependen on age (F=1.206, p=0.305). Howe e , in he heal h sco e e alua ion on VAS scale in he age g oup o 50yea s, he VAS alues di e ed signi ican ly om olde age g oups (F=4.401, p<0.01), wi h olde age g oups sco ing wo se VAS alues. We he e o e s anda dized he e ec o age in linea eg ession analysis when he VAS ins umen was he ou come a iable. Table 1 The demog aphic de ails andsumma y o EQ-5D quali y o li e alues Pa ame e Mean (±SD) Lowe ange Uppe ange Age (in yea s) 61.5 (10.5) 22 91 Symp om du a ion (in yea s) 18.4 (11.1) 1 63 EQ-5D Index alue 0.75 (0.19) 0.29 1.0 EQ-5D VAS alue 71.2 (17.1) 20 100 No p oblem Some p oblem Ex eme p oblem EQ-5D Dimensions (% o popula ion epo ing he p oblem) Mobili y 59.6 40.4 0 Sel -ca e 97.3 3.7 0 Usual ac i i ies 74.3 33.4 3.3 Pain/discom o 44.8 50.8 4.4 Anxie y/dep ession (mood) 76.5 22.4 1.1 Page 4 o 9 Pyykkő e al. Sp inge Plus (2015) 4:717 In e nal associa ion o EQ sco e andi s associa ion wi h a ious symp oms andcomplain s associa ed wi hMD Table 2 p esen s co ela ion esul s o a ious symp- oms and componen s o MD wi h i e dimensions o he EQ-5D dimensions. In co ela ion analysis, mo ili y co ela ed wi h usual ac i i ies (0.55, p<0.001) and pain ( =0.33, p<0.001). The mood co ela ed wi h sel -ca e (0.20, p<0.001), usual ac i i ies ( =0.25, p<0.001), and pain ( =0.32, p<0.001). The sel -ca e co ela ed wi h usual ac i i ies ( =0.29, p<0.001) and mood ( =0.20, p < 0.001). Only mo ili y was biased by ageing o he subjec s wi h olde subjec s ha ing mo e p oblems wi h mobili y. Males also had mo e pain- ela ed complain s han emales. The du a ion o disease did no co ela e wi h any o he QoL componen s. Quali y o li e measu ed wi hICF o ien ed app oach Table3 demons a es linea eg ession model wi h he ICF-based limi a ions when EQ-5D index alue and VAS a e ou come a iables. In VAS e alua ion, he model consis ing om e igo, hea ing loss, and a sal - ee die was s a is ically signi ican ( =0.293, p < 0.001) and explained only 8.6% o a iance in VAS. In EQ-5D index alue model, wo a iables we e signi ican : impai men die a y impac and nausea. Also, his model was s a is i- cally signi ican ( =0.257, p<0.001) and explained 6.6% o a iance in EQ-5D index alue. Fig. 1 Dis ibu ion o EQ-5D Index alues (le ) and VAS sco es ( igh ) among 183 pa icipan s Fig. 2 Linea eg ession model ou come o age in EQ-5D index alues (le ) and VAS sco es ( igh ) Page 5 o 9 Pyykkő e al. Sp inge Plus (2015) 4:717 Quali y o li e measu ed wi hsymp oms o ien ed app oach Table4 demons a es a linea eg ession model consis ing o symp oms when EQ-5D index alue and VAS ins u- men s we e ou come a iables. In VAS e alua ion, he model consis ed o gai p oblems, balance p oblems, phys- ical s ain induced e igo, and sho age o ene gy. This model was s a is ically signi ican ( =0.624, p<0.001) and explained 38.9% o he a iance in VAS. In EQ-5D index alue model, h ee a iables we e signi ican : impai men o gai , balance p oblems and sho age o ene gy. Also, his model was s a is ically signi ican ( =0.634, p<0.001) and explained 37.8% o he a iance in EQ-5D index alue. No ewo hy was ha nei he hea ing p oblems no e igo co ela ed wi h quali y o li e in his s udy. Quali y o li e measu ed wi hac i i y limi a ions o ien ed app oach Fo assessmen o ac i i y limi a ions, inni us was assessed on a ITI ques ionnai e wi h 8 ques ions. The unc ional limi a ion o hea ing was assessed by a ques- ionnai e consis ing o 10 ques ions. Localiza ion o sound was assessed by a sound localiza ion ques ionnai e consis ing o 4 ques ions. The e igo was e alua ed wi h a e igo handicap ques ionnai e consis ing o 8 ques- ions. A o al o 24 ques ions we e analyzed. Table5 p esen s he linea s epwise eg ession analysis o ac o s desc ibing ac i i y limi a ions in MD on VAS and EQ-5D index based measu es o 5D QoL. The VAS ins umen based model consis ed o wo e igo linked a iables (walking on he sidewalk, bending p o oked e - igo, and ac i i y limi a ion by ea o ha ing an a ack), one inni us ela ed a iable ( equency o unbea able inni us), and one hea ing linked a iable (p oblems o hea ing a doo bell). The model was s a is ically signi ican ( =0.622, p<0.001) and explained 38.7% o he a iance in VAS. The EQ-5D index alue could be explained by e - igo-linked a iables ( empo a y ac i i y limi a ions and walking in open space), and one inni us linked a iable Table 2 Co ela ion o EQ-5D componen s wi h a ious aspec s o  he Méniè e’s disease includingsymp oms o  he dis- ease, ac i i y limi a ions andpa icipa ion es ic ions, pe sonal ai s, anda i ude *p≤0.05; **p≤0.01 Mo ili y Sel -ca e Usual ac i i ies Pain Mood Ve igo se e i y n.s. 0.19* n.s. n.s. n.s. Nausea AND omi ing n.s. 0.15* n.s. n.s. n.s. Tuma kin a ack 0.184* n.s. 0.252** 0.216** n.s. Balance p oblems 0.496** n.s. 0.451** 0.258** n.s. Uns eadiness 0.506** 0.198** 0.514** 0.321** n.s. Mo ing abili y 0.559** 0.357** 0.446** 0.386** n.s. Chai ise 0.442** 0.271** 0.381** 0.350** 0.176* Impac o e igo 0.249** 0.158* 0.272** 0.236** n.s. Tinni us impac 0.156* n.s. n.s. 0.125 n.s. Balance impac 0.569** 0.327** 0.433** 0.371** 0.225** Hea ing impac n.s. n.s. n.s. n.s. n.s. P essu e impac 0.226** 0.229** 0.214** 0.198** Anxie y/ne ousness 0.181* n.s. 0.219** 0.214** 0.349** Ene ge ics/ a igue 0.286** 0.159* 0.356** 0.344** 0.316** Sense o cohe ence −0.185* −0.182* −0.264** −0.272** −0.417** Table 3 Linea s epwise eg ession analysis o ICF-based limi a ions by he Méniè e’s disease wi hEQ-5D VAS andEQ-5D index alues asou come a iables Va iable VAS model, =0.293 EQ-5D index alue model, =0.293 Coe S.E. PCoe S.E. P Cons an 69.1 1.7 <0.001 0.78 0.02 <0.001 Ve igo −7.6 2.9 0.010 n.s n.s 0.168 Hea ing 6.9 3.9 0.012 n.s n.s 0.192 Die 0.7 4.2 0.022 n.s n.s 0.996 Nausea n.s n.s 0.543 −0.13 0.07 0.011 D ugs n.s n.s 0.161 0.22 0.05 0.003 Page 6 o 9 Pyykkő e al. Sp inge Plus (2015) 4:717 ( equency o unbea able inni us). The model was s a- is ically signi ican ( =0.558, p<0.001) and explained 29.6% o he a iance in EQ-5D index alue. Quali y o li e measu ed wi hpa icipa ion es ic ions o ien ed app oach The ques ionnai e ocuses on pa icipa ion es ic ions (consis ing o 30 ques ions) caused by heal h condi ion on con e sa ions, a eling, shopping, a eling o medical appoin men s, banks and o ices, a ending lea ning ci - cles, ela ionship o o he s, wo k ela ed ac i i ies,among o he s. Table 6 p esen s he linea s epwise eg es- sion analysis o ac o s desc ibing pa icipa ion es ic- ion in MD on VAS and EQ-5D index based measu es o 5D QoL. In VAS based model o quali y o li e, six a iables u ned ou o be indica i e (see Table6). The model was s a is ically signi ican ( =0.580, p<0.001) and explained 33.7% o VAS a iabili y. In EQ-5D index alue based model, only h ee a iables we e included in he model ha was s a is ically signi ican ( =0.457). EQ-5D index alue, p<0.001) could explain 17.3% o he a iabili y o EQ-5D index alue. In ac o ial analysis, he pa icipa ion es ic ion consis ed o 7 ac o s co e ing 68% o he da a. B oadly, he a iables associa ed wi h VAS-measu e consis ed o communica ion, lis ening, daily ac i i ies, social ac i i y, and lea ning es ic ions. The EQ-5D index alue associa ed a iables consis ed o es ic ions in social ac i i y and in daily ac i i y. In VAS measu e he hea ing impai men associa ed es ic ions domina ed, whe eas in EQ-5D index alue he pa icipa- ion es ic ion consis ed mainly om balance impai - men associa ed p oblems. The di e ence be weenEQ-5D index alue andVAS measu emen Table7 p esen s he summa y om he easibili y o di - e en pa ame e desc ip ions in he e alua ion gene al HRQoL wi h EQ-5D index alue and VAS ins umen s. Fo compa ison, a model consis ing o pe sonal ai s measu ed wi h SOC and sel - a ed anxie y is included. Based on he explana o y powe o di e en models, i seems ha he disease symp om speci ic semeionic model p o ides he mos accu a e p edic ion in EQ-5D index alue calcula ions (37.8%). In VAS sco es, QoL is mos accu a ely de e mined by pa icipa ion es ic ion (53.3%). The wo s p edic ion in bo h EQ-5D index alue and VAS models was in ICF-based limi a ions (5.6 and 7.9 % espec i ely). In e es ingly enough, a i ude and pe sonal ai s explained he educ ion o QoL somewha be e han he ICF-based a iables. Discussion The aim o he p esen s udy was o e alua e he alid- i y o impac measu es among pa ien s wi h MD wi h Table 4 Linea s epwise eg ession analysis o symp oms o  he Méniè e’s disease wi hEQ-5D VAS andEQ-5D index al- ues asou come a iables Va iable VAS model, =0.624 EQ-5D index alue model, =0.558 Coe SE PCoe SE P Cons an 84.8 1.8 <0.001 0.90 0.02 <0.001 Balance −3.8 1.6 0.017 −0.26 0.11 0.019 Gai −7.6 2.1 <0.001 −0.79 0. 14 <0.001 Physical s ain −3.3 1.3 0.013 n.s. n.s. 0.879 Ene gy −2.5 1.3 0.048 −0.06 0.01 <0.001 Table 5 Linea s epwise eg ession analysis o  ac o s desc ibing ac i i y limi a ions caused by he Méniè e’s disease wi hEQ-5D VAS andEQ-5D index alues asou come a iables Va iable VAS model, =0.622 EQ-5D index model, =0.558 Coe SE PCoe SE P Cons an 91.8 2.9 <0.001 0.94 0.03 <0.001 P oblems wi h gai on sidewalk −6.8 1.6 <0.001 −0.05 0.02 <0.032 Unbea able inni us occu ence −3.9 1.1 0.001 −0.04 0.02 0.020 Bending p o oking e igo −7.4 1.7 <0.001 -0.05 0.02 0.006 Hea ing doo bell inging −3.1 1.3 <0.05 n.s. n.s. 0.522 Ac i i y limi a ion (e.g., shopping) caused by e igo n.s. n.s. 0.144 −0.071 0.022 0.002 Page 7 o 9 Pyykkő e al. Sp inge Plus (2015) 4:717 ou come a iables o Eu oQol gene ic QoL. Fu he - mo e, di e ences be ween wo gene ic heal h e alua ion me hods in EQ-5D (EQ-5D index alue and VAS) we e explo ed. We ound ha he symp om p o ile o he dis- ease p o ided he majo ou come in gene ic HRQoL. The VAS ins umen had seemingly an inhe en p op- e y o include age-associa ed changes in pe o mance as well as in a i ude and pe sonal ai . I hese a i- ables we e added in he VAS-ins umen ha con ained he symp om p o ile, he eg ession (38.9–39.2 %) did no signi ican ly imp o e. In con as , he EQ-5D index alue -ins umen was ma kedly imp o ed by a i ude and pe sonal ai (i.e., 37.8–45.3 %). As hese meas- u es a e no wi hin he EQ-5D index alue –ins umen , he VAS-ins umen p o ides di e en aspec s o QoL in MD, which can be missed i only one ins umen is inspec ed. The a i udes owa ds he disease and pe - sonal ai played a mino ole in he es ima ion o QoL in MD, which is consis en wi h esul s om p e ious s udies by Le o e al. (2012) and S ephens e al. (2010). Vigo and ene gy a e no no mally explo ed in ela ion o MD, al hough he pa ien o en complains abou a lack o ene gy (S ephens e al. 2010). This a iable could pa ly explain he educ ion in QoL, and he di e ence in EQ-5D index alue and VAS scaling me hods. Values and alue judgmen s a e in insic o measu emen s o his so and need o be made explici . The esul s con i m he p e ious obse a ion ha he e is a sho age o el- e an and alida ed ques ionnai es assessing he impac o e igo o dizziness on gene ic QoL (Du acinsky e al. 2007). Co ela ion analysis indica ed ha mood (e.g., anxie y/ dep ession) was ela ed o e y ew aspec s o complain s and symp oms, whe eas he o he ou dimensions o he EQ-5D (mobili y, sel -ca e, usual ac i i ies and pain) we e associa ed wi h mo e complain s and symp oms o MD (see Table2). In addi ion, a ious in e nal co ela- ions we e obse ed (e.g., mo ili y co ela ed wi h usual ac i i ies and pain; mood co ela ed wi h sel -ca e, usual ac i i ies, and pain; sel -ca e co ela ed wi h usual ac i i- ies and mood). Mo eo e , some age and gende e ec s we e also no iced, al hough he du a ion o he disease Table 6 Linea s epwise eg ession analysis o  ac o s desc ibing pa icipa ion es ic ions caused by he Méniè e’s dis- ease wi hEQ-5D VAS andEQ-5D index alues asou come a iables Va iable VAS model, =0.580 EQ-5D index model, =0.457 Coe S.E. PCoe S.E. P Cons an 109.7 4.04 <0.001 0.89 0.07 <0.001 Pa icipa ing in lec u es −5.16 1.66 0.007 n.s. n.s. 0.968 Res ic ion on pe o ming household asks −5.50 1.89 0.036 −0.114 0.03 <0.001 Hea ing quie con e sa ion −5.38 1.92 0.006 n.s. n.s. 0.444 P oblems in isi ing doc o −6.22 2.15 0.005 n.s. n.s. 0.917 Loss o in e es in wa ching TV −5.78 1.91 0.003 n.s. n.s. 0.734 Res ic ion on ela ionships o close people by hea ing p oblem 8.22 2.23 <0.000 n.s. n.s. 0.40 Res ic ion on isi ing close people by hea ing p oblem −6.74 1.90 0.001 n.s. n.s. 0.223 T a eling alone n.s. n.s. 0.547 −0.34 0.02 0.059 P oblems s aying home alone n.s. n.s. 0.633 0.138 0.62 0.029 Table 7 Goodness o  i models desc ibing heal h ela ed quali y o li e wi hEQ-5D index alue andVAS ins umen s whene alua ed wi hICF-based limi a ions, symp om speci ic complain s, ac i i y limi a ions, andpa icipa ion es ic- ions a iables Fo compa ison, a i ude and pe sonal ai measu es a e included Measu able VAS (%) EQ-5D index alue (%) Méniè e impac (%) ICF-based limi a ions 8.6 7.9 8.7 Symp oms 38.9 34.2 48.3 Ac i i y limi a ions 38.7 32.1 47.2 Pa icipa ion es ic ions 33.7 17.3 53.4 A i ude and pe sonal ai 8.8 22.7 23.4 Symp oms, a i ude and pe sonal ai 39.2 44.8 51.1 Page 8 o 9 Pyykkő e al. Sp inge Plus (2015) 4:717 does no seem o be ela ed o any o he QoL compo- nen s. These obse a ions p o ide use ul in o ma ion o clinicians in managemen and ehabili a ion planning o MD pa ien s. This indica es ha lea ning o cope wi h he disease (Ken ala e al. 2013) does no necessa ily imp o e QoL as has been sugges ed (Ty ell e al. 2015). In he p esen s udy, he indi iduals wi h MD end o e alua e hei heal h wi h a symp oms based app oach a he han wi h he limi a ion o unc ion. Con ol o symp oms may be a mo e unde s andable way o imp o e he QoL and in luence he ins umen alues when com- pa ed o he e ec s o limi a ions and a ious es ic ions expe ienced by he pa ien . In his espec , ou obse a- ions con i m he concep ha condi ion speci ic symp- om measu es ha mi o ea men o condi ion o ce ain illness ha e high accep abili y and ele ance o pa ien s and doc o s (Kind 2001). They also can be in lu- enced by ea men , and a e sensi i e o change. In he he apeu ic p ocess, in e es has he e o e been ocused o change he medical ac o s educing he EQ-5D index alue and VAS sco es. Howe e , as indica ed in he p e- sen s udy, no all he i ems a e ela ed o medical con- di ions. Some o he VAS and EQ-5D index alue sco es a e linked o pe sonal ai and a i ude. Pe sonal ai is, howe e , esis an o changes as SOC is di icul o change in adul subjec s. Howe e , possibly some a i ude dependen a iables in ac i i y limi a ion and pa icipa- ion es ic ion can be in luenced by he apy as sho age o ene gy, abili y o d i e a ca , capabili y o do shopping, and he unce ain y wi h managemen a wo k. I medi- cal condi ions canno be alle ia ed, hen he ehabili a- i e e o s migh be ocused on hese domains in o de o imp o e accessibili y and emo e hind ances. One such e o is a pee suppo sys em, in ol ing pa ien - o- pa ien help, and also suppo om signi ican o he s can be enhanced. The WHO-ICF is a mul ipu pose classi ica ion designed o se e a ious disabili ies and heal h con- di ions [Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion (WHO) 2001]. I speci ically aims o p o ide a scien i ic basis o unde - s anding h ough s udying heal h and heal h ela ed s a us, ou comes and de e minan s. ICF can be used as an explana o y amewo k ha may allow mo e com- p ehensi e unde s anding o he cha ac e o illness, and how i may be desc ibed and po en ially alle ia ed (Wade and Halligan 2003). The ICF p o ides a pa ien - cen e ed illness desc ip ion ha may p o ide use ul insigh s in o inding solu ions o o e come he impac o he condi ion. I was, he e o e, in e es ing o s udy he applicabili y o ICF o be used in a model desc ib- ing QoL. Wi h EQ-5D index alue and VAS alue, he ICF based limi a ions p o ides he possibili y o exam- ine di e ences om pa ien s’ pe spec i es and compa e hem wi h he pe spec i es o he obse e . Al hough he VAS and EQ-5D index alue based models yielded a he poo explana o y powe (8 %), he limi a ions loaded pa ly di e en ly in o he EQ-5D index and VAS models. The poo pe o mance in connec ion wi h QoL ins umen s may be due o wo ac o s: (1) pa ien s had p oblems iden i ying i ems limi ing hei ac i i ies when asked open-ended ques ions; o (2) al e na i ely hey had adap ed o hei cu en si ua ions and had hus no iden i ied exis ing p oblems i no speci ied by a ques- ionnai e. The o me op ion migh occu due o empo- a y changes in he disease, as pa ien s end o ocus on mo e ecen symp oms. The la e op ion would occu i he measu es o QoL would e lec o he aspec s o he illness as, o example, own will ha is no di ec ly desc ibed in ICF-classi ica ion. Bo h o hese aspec s may be ue and should be e alua ed in u he s ud- ies. One way o doing ha migh be o unde s and how he ICF-based app oach will ela e o QoL measu es when used wi h open-ended and s uc u ed ques ion- nai es. Howe e , he cu en s udy esul s indica e ha he pa ien s we e no able o iden i y he c ucial ac o s desc ibing he illness, o ha illness has mo e dimen- sions han de ined by ICF. In MD, he VAS alues seem o con ain addi ional i ems ha will con ound he e alua ion o he impac o he disease. Such con ounde s in he p esen s udy we e mood, a i ude, expec a ions o p og ess o he disease, and ageing among o he s. We also obse ed ha VAS includes some impo an i ems as cogni i e abili y, mem- o y, i ali y, and a la ge scale o social es ic ions ha we e no me in EQ-5D index alue -ins umen . In MD, he EQ-5D index alue measu es complain associa ed educ ion o ac i i y, and is adap ed o he ageing p o- cess. The EQ-5D index alue and VAS a e measu ing hus somewha di e en dimensions o he impac on gen- e al HRQoL in MD. The ICF-based i ems desc ibed by he pa ien s did no con ain elemen s ha could explain educ ion o QoL in he p esen s udy. This seems o be due o he e ogeneous esponses o he pa ien s exhibi ing a la ge scale o di e en opics in hei eplies. Conclusions The cu en s udy sugges s ha a mo e ocused symp- om o ien ed app oach is mo e sensi i e in ela ion o gene al HRQoL, whe eas he mo e comp ehensi e ICF- based app oach explained less a iance. The s udy iden- i ied di e ences be ween VAS and EQ-5D index alue, indica ing ha hey may assis in unde s anding di e en aspec s o QoL. O e all, hese indings sugges ha MD pa ien s seem o ha e p oblems iden i ying ac o s caus- ing ac i i y limi a ion and pa icipa ion es ic ions and use he semio ic desc ip ion ocusing on complain s. Page 9 o 9 Pyykkő e al. Sp inge Plus (2015) 4:717 Au ho s’ con ibu ions IP w o e he pape , pa icipa ed in collec ion and analysis o he da a. VM pa - icipa ed in he w i ing o he pape and con ibu ed in hea ing da a analysis. HL pa icipa ed in he w i ing o he pape and in collec ion and analysis o he da a. She made he analysis o quali y o li e, au al ullness and ICF s a egy. EK pa icipa ed in he w i ing o he pape and in collec ion and analysis o he da a. She made he analysis o pe sonal ai and coping s a egy. All au ho s ead and app o ed he inal manusc ip . Au ho de ails 1 Depa men o O ola yngology, Uni e si y o Tampe e, Tampe e, Finland. 2 Depa men o Speech and Hea ing Sciences, Lama Uni e si y, Beaumon , TX, USA. 3 Depa men o Beha iou al Sciences and Lea ning, The Swedish Ins i u e o Disabili y Resea ch, Linköping Uni e si y, Linköping, Sweden. 4 Audiology India, Myso e, Ka na aka, India. 5 Depa men o O ola yngology, Uni e si y o Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. Acknowledgemen s This s udy has been conduc ed in coope a ion wi h he Finnish Méniè e’s Fed- e a ion (FMF) and has been inancially suppo ed by he Finnish Slo Machine Associa ion, RAY. 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