Patient perception of disease burden in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis.

Purpose: Systemic sclerosis is a rare multi-organ autoimmune rheumatic disease, resulting in progressive fibrosis of the skin/internal organs. This study aimed to understand the impact of diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis symptoms and disease burden from the patient's perspective. Methods: This was a mixed methodology, market research study involving ethnography, structured interviews, video diaries, and patient tasks. Patients had been diagnosed with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis for ⩾ 6 months and were recruited via healthcare professionals or patient associations (France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States). Patients filmed short (~15 min) daily video diaries about their lives over 7 days and participated in ethnographic sessions, patient tasks, and structured video interviews. In Germany and Spain, patients participated in 60-min telephone interviews. Results: Twenty-three patients (mean age: 54 years; 83% women; minimum disease duration: 6 months) participated in the study. Time to diagnosis was prolonged, as patients overlooked their symptoms and some healthcare professionals attributed symptoms to other causes. Patients rarely received additional information or support services at diagnosis. Importantly, although patients were aware of the seriousness of organ involvement, they reported that skin changes, pain, and fatigue impaired their ability to perform routine tasks. Patients had a high prescription treatment burden (mean: 10 tablets/day; up to >25 tablets/day) with additional non-prescription medication taken for other comorbidities. Treatment discontinuation was common due to side effects. Patients experienced diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis as a loss of independence and self-esteem. Moreover, patients tended to have small support networks, and emotional support services were not offered as standard care. Conclusion: Patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis had high treatment and disease burdens, with skin changes, pain, and fatigue profoundly affecting their lives. There is an unmet need for patient information at the time of diagnosis and emotional support services throughout the patient's journey with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis. Based on the results of this study, we provide recommendations for improving diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis care.

Factors influencing early referral, early diagnosis and management in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis.

Objective: To gain insight into clinical practice regarding referral, early diagnosis and other aspects of the management of patients with dcSSc in Europe and the USA. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 84 rheumatologists (or internal medicine physicians) and 40 dermatologists in different countries (the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the USA). Physicians were asked to identify key steps in the patient pathway relating to patient presentation, diagnosis and referral, in addition to other treatment and follow-up processes. Results: The interviewed physicians reported that late presentation with dcSSc was common, with some patients presenting to primary care physicians after symptoms had persisted for up to 1 year. Awareness of dcSSc is reported to vary widely among primary care physicians. Final diagnosis, generally following guideline-based recommendations, was by rheumatologists in most cases (or internal medicine physicians in France) and they remained responsible for global patient management, with lesser involvement in diagnosis and management by dermatologists. Specialist centres were not well defined and did not exist in all countries. Conclusion: Patients and primary healthcare providers can be unaware of the symptoms of dcSSc, therefore presentation and referral to specialist care are often late. Thus, improved awareness among patients and primary care physicians is necessary to facilitate earlier referral and diagnosis. Once referred, more consistent use of the modified Rodnan skin score at diagnosis and follow-up may help to monitor disease progression. Furthermore, establishing specialist centres may help to promote such changes and improve patient care.

Developing a handheld record for patients with cystic fibrosis.

Patient handheld records (PHHRs) promote self-management and empower the holder to take a more active role in the management of their disease. They have been used successfully in improving preventative care for children and have contributed to improved adherence in a number of chronic illnesses. Despite the potential advantages, there are no standard PHHRs for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). We report the consultation process that led to the development of a CF PHHR, describe the final document, and analyze the feedback from their use at our center. We have made the CF PHHR freely available online.

The association of maternal but not paternal genetic variation in GSTP1 with asthma phenotypes in children.

Maternal factors including atopy and smoking during pregnancy are associated with asthma risk during childhood. Suggested mechanisms include transmission of specific maternal alleles and maternal influences on the intrauterine environment. We have previously shown that polymorphism in glutathione S-transferase, GSTP1 is associated with airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and atopy in adults. We now hypothesise that GSTP1 genotypes in the mother and child, but not the father, mediate asthma phenotypes in the child. One hundred and forty-five Caucasian families were recruited via an asthmatic proband aged 7-18 years. Atopy and asthma were assessed using a questionnaire, skin prick testing, serum IgE, spirometry and methacholine challenge (PC20, dose-response slope--DRS). GSTP1 genotyping was determined using PCR. GSTP1 Val105/Val105 genotype in the child was associated with a reduced risk of atopy (P = 0.038) and AHR (PC20, P = 0.046; DRS, P = 0.032). In mothers (P = 0.014) but not fathers (P = 0.623), Val105/Val105 was associated with a reduced risk of AHR in the child. We have identified, for the first time, an association between maternal genotype and the child's asthma phenotype that appears not to be due to transmission of specific maternal alleles. This preliminary data supports the view of in utero effects of maternal genotype and adds new insights into the possible mechanisms by which maternal factors may influence development of childhood asthma.

Correction of bronchial challenge data for age and size may affect the results of genetic association studies in children.

Meaningful studies of asthma genetics require careful definition of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). In children, several studies have emphasized the need for correction of bronchial challenge data for baseline parameters, such as age, gender, lung function and atopic status, when undertaking airway responsiveness measurements. However, few studies have suggested how this should be performed in practice. This study describes a method for the correction of dose-response slopes (DRS) and PC20 values for baseline parameters in children, and illustrates the effect of such corrections on the association of AHR with the glutathione S-transferase GSTP1 Ile105Val polymorphism in children. Skin prick and methacholine challenge testing, measurement of total serum IgE concentration and GSTP1 genotyping were performed in 145 unrelated British children aged 7-18 years. Correction of bronchial challenge results, expressed as both DRS and PC20 values, for age, gender, baseline lung function and atopic status was performed using linear regression and discriminant analysis, respectively. Adjusting bronchial challenge results for the age and size of the child altered AHR status, defined as a PC20 methacholine <8 mg/ml, in 37% of children. Correction for baseline parameters also resulted in a significant reduction in mean DRS (original uncorrected DRS 83.6, corrected DRSc 27.4). This had a marked effect on the results of the association study, unmasking a previously unidentified association between the GSTP1 genotype and AHR in children. Age and size adjustment of bronchial challenge data has a significant effect on AHR status and may influence the results of genetic association studies in children.