Psychometrics of the Greek Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire for Measuring HRQL.

The aim of the present study is to examine psychometric properties such as internal consistency reliability and construct validity of the Greek CLDQ. A sample of 366 eligible patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) self-administered the Greek version of the SF-36 Health Survey, the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ), and questions on sociodemographic status and treatment. Child Pugh Score was also collected.

Depression, quality of life and primary care: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To estimate the presence of depression and impairment of quality of life in primary care and identify correlations with demographics and chronic diseases.

Materials And Methods: 500 people (220 men) that visited the Gytheio Health Center, Greece, participated in the study answering a study questionnaire that included demographic and somatometric data, medical history, the Zung self-rating depression scale (SDS-Zung) and the Short Form 12 (SF-12) scale for quality of life evaluation with a mental component scale (MCS) and a physical component scale (PCS).

Results: 163 persons (32.

Reliability and validity of the Greek QLQ-C30 and QLQ-MY20 for measuring quality of life in patients with multiple myeloma.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Greek EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-MY20 instruments.

Method: A sample of myeloma patients (N = 89) from two tertiary hospitals were surveyed with the QLQ-C30, QLQ-MY20 and various demographic and disease related questions. The previously validated Greek SF-36 instrument was used as a "gold standard" for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) comparisons.

Comparing health-related quality of life of cancer patients under chemotherapy and of their caregivers.

Introduction: Cancer is a major disorder physically and psychologically affecting both patients and their caregivers. In this study, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patient-caregiver dyads during the period of chemotherapy was assessed.

Material And Methods: Two hundred twenty-two cancer patient-caregiver dyads were enrolled in the study, which was conducted from October 2008 to March 2009.

Physician consultations according to different BMI levels of the Greek general population.

Obesity constitutes a global epidemic which is rapidly becoming a major public health problem in many parts of the world, threatening peoples' health and quality of life. The aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence and impact of overweight and obesity on physician consultations and frequency of use and furthermore, to investigate whether physician consultations in each of the groups defined by BMI level correspond to the need for care implied by health risk level, using logistic regression models. The survey was carried out in Greece in 2006 and involved complete data from 645 individuals consulted by physicians.

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy: Patients' outcomes, adequacy and quality of information given to decision-makers and procedure acceptance.

Aim: We aimed to evaluate patients' survival and complications after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement, the quality of information given to the decision-makers (relatives) before the procedure and their overall acceptance of the intervention.

Methods: We interviewed the relatives of 35 patients who underwent PEG tube placement in our facility from January 2008 to December 2009, using a structured questionnaire.

Results: Thirty-day survival rate was 83%.

Comparing the sensitivity of EQ-5D, SF-6D and 15D utilities to the specific effect of diabetic complications.

Objectives: Diabetes patients suffer from comorbid conditions and disease-related complications. Combined with demographic, clinical and treatment satisfaction variables, they have a confounding effect on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study compared the sensitivity of EQ-5D, SF-6D and 15D utilities to the specific effect of diabetes complications.

Factors affecting use of preventive tests for cardiovascular risk among Greeks.

Data from a Greek national representative sample was used to investigate socio-demographic, self-perceived health, and health risk factors that determine the use of cardiovascular preventive tests (blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose). Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used (p < 0.05).

Assessing the socio-economic and demographic impact on health-related quality of life: evidence from Greece.

Objectives: The impact of socioeconomic status on health has been extensively studied and studies have shown that low socio-economic status is related to lower values of various health and quality-of-health measures. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of demographic and socio-economic factors on health- related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2003 using a representative sample of a Greek general population (n = 1007, 18+ years old), living in Athens area.

Comparing SF-6D and EQ-5D utilities across groups differing in health status.

Objectives: To compare the EQ-5D and SF-6D within socio-demographic and clinical groups in a representative sample (n = 1,005) of the Greek general population and to examine mean utility differences across groups differing in health in this population and in a highly morbid disease sample (diabetes, n = 215).

Methods: Association and level of agreement between instruments were estimated with Pearson's r and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), respectively. Paired-samples t-test was used to identify significant score differences, which were regarded as minimally important differences (MID) when they exceeded 0.

Effects of ageing on small bowel video-capsule endoscopy examination.

Objectives: The effects of ageing on small bowel video-capsule endoscopy (VCE) studies have not been studied prospectively yet.

Methods: We prospectively investigated 120 consecutive VCE studies. Patients were divided into three age groups: <40, 40-64, and > or =65 yr.

Effect of three bowel preparations on video-capsule endoscopy gastric and small-bowel transit time and completeness of the examination.

Objective: Video capsule endoscopy fails to visualize the caecum in about 20% of patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different bowel preparations on video capsule endoscopy gastric- (GTT) and small-bowel transit time (SBTT) and the rate of caecal visualization.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively examined 186 consecutive capsule endoscopy videos undertaken over a 3-year period, excluding cases with diabetes mellitus or gastric surgery (n=28), cases with unknown bowel preparation and those with unreadable data CDs (n=27).

Predictors of health-related quality of life in type II diabetic patients in Greece.

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality affecting millions of people worldwide, while placing a noteworthy strain on public health funding. The aim of this study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of Greek Type II DM patients and to identify significant predictors of the disease in this patient population.

Methods: The sample (N = 229, 52.

Hospitalization rates for cholelithiasis and acute cholecystitis doubled for the aged population in Greece over the past 30 years.

Objective: Gallbladder disease is becoming increasingly prevalent in Western countries and is a common cause of hospitalization. The objective of this study was to determine time trends in cholelithiasis and acute cholecystitis for hospitalization and disease case fatality in Greece between 1970 and 1998.

Material And Methods: Data were obtained from the Annual Bulletin for the Social Welfare and Health Statistics of the National Statistics Service of Greece.