Getting closer to patients: the INCAT Overall Disability Sum Score relates better to patients’ own clinical judgement in immune-mediated polyneuropathies
- 1Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- 2Department of Statistics, Daniel den Hoed Cancer Centre, Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam
- Correspondence to: Dr I S J Merkies Department of Neurology, Spaarne Hospital, Spaarnepoort 1, Hoofddorp 2134 TM, The Netherlands; imerkies{at}spaarneziekenhuis.nl
- Received 17 July 2005
- Accepted 10 March 2006
- Revised 2 March 2006
- Published Online First 20 March 2006
Abstract
Objective: To determine which widely used disability measure in Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) shows the strongest association with patients’ rating scores.
Methods: Five disability scales and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) were assessed serially in 20 patients with newly diagnosed GBS (n = 7) or CIDP (n = 13). Also at each visit, the patient’s condition was self-assessed as being worse, unchanged or better. Longitudinal regressions were carried out to determine the association between disability scales (independent variables) and SF-36 and patients’ rating scores (dependent variables).
Results: Higher associations with the SF-36 were found in the Overall Disability Sum Score (ODSS) than other disability measures. A higher correlation with ODSS changes was also found in the rating scores of the patients.
Conclusion: In addition to literature findings, higher associations were found between Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause and Treatment Group ODSS and outcome assessed from patients’ perceptions in immune-related polyneuropathies than in other commonly used disability scales.
- CIDP, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
- GBS, Guillain–Barré syndrome
- INCAT, Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause and Treatment
- ODSS, Overall Disability Sum Score
- SF-36, 36-Item Short Form Health Survey
Footnotes
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See Editorial Commentary, p 899
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Competing interests: None declared.
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Published Online First 20 March 2006
