Validación transcultural al castellano del Actionable Bladder Symptoms Screening Tool / Transcultural validation in Spanish of the Actionable Bladder Symptoms Screening Tool

Introducción. Los trastornos del tracto urinario inferior son frecuentes en pacientes con esclerosis múltiple a lo largo del transcurso de la enfermedad y alcanzan prevalencias variables cercanas al 75%. Es primordial realizar un diagnóstico precoz en fases tempranas y un abordaje terapéutico óptimo. Burks et al elaboraron el Actionable Bladder Symptoms Screening Tool (ABSST) como herramienta de cribado útil de dichos trastornos. Posteriormente, Bates et al desarrollaron una versión corta del ABSST con el objetivo de minimizar el tiempo de realización y facilitar su manejo. Objetivo. Realizar la validación transcultural al castellano de la versión breve del ABSST. Pacientes y métodos. Se realizó la traducción al castellano del ABSST y una posterior retrotraducción al inglés que confirmaba su equivalencia semántica. Se llevó a cabo una prueba de campo en 40 pacientes con esclerosis múltiple, incluyendo dos preguntas finales para comprobar la comprensión y aceptabilidad de la herramienta y un último ítem que recogía el tiempo empleado para su realización. Resultados: Se seleccionaron 40 pacientes conforme a los criterios de inclusión y exclusión; el 67,5% eran mujeres y la media global de edad era de 46,2 años. La comprensión del test fue del 100%, y la aceptabilidad, del 97,5%. El 57,5% obtuvo puntuaciones >= 3, y se emplearon 5,33 minutos de media. Conclusiones. El ABSST como cuestionario de cribado breve de trastornos urinarios en la esclerosis múltiple es una herramienta útil para su detección temprana y queda validado para su uso en castellano (AU)

Introduction. Disorders of the lower urinary tract are frequent in patients with multiple sclerosis throughout the course of the disease and reach variable prevalences close to 75%. It is essential to obtain an early diagnosis in the initial phases and to implement an optimal therapeutic management. Burks et al developed the Actionable Bladder Symptoms Screening Tool (ABSST) as a useful screening test in such disorders. Later, Bates et al developed a short version of the ABSST with the objective of minimising the time required to complete it and making it easier to use. AIMS. To carry out the transcultural validation into Spanish of the short version of the ABSST. Patients and Methods: The ABSST was translated into Spanish and then back-translated into English, which confirmed the semantic equivalence. A field test was conducted on 40 patients with multiple sclerosis, with two extra questions being included at the end in order to check the comprehension and acceptability of the tool, together with a final item that asked for the time spent on completing it. Results: Forty patients were selected In accordance with the eligibility and exclusion criteria; 67.5% of them were females and the overall mean age was 46.2 years. The rate of comprehension of the test was 100%, and that of acceptability was 97.5%. Results showed that 57.5% obtained scores >= 3, and an average of 5.33 minutes were spent on completing it. Conclusions: As a brief screening questionnaire for urinary disorders in multiple sclerosis, the ABSST is a useful tool for detecting them at an early stage and has now been validated for use in Spanish (AU)

The effectiveness of glatiramer acetate in clinical practice: an observational study.

AIM: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of glatiramer acetate for use in routine clinical practice. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective, observational study was conducted on patients with multiple sclerosis who were treated with glatiramer acetate in clinical practice. The primary outcome was the clinical effectiveness of glatiramer acetate treatment. RESULTS: The study included a total of 104 patients (women, 59.6%; age at onset of glatiramer acetate treatment, 39.9 ± 10.9 years; prior treatment for multiple sclerosis, 30.8%). The patients had received glatiramer acetate treatment for an average of 3.6 ± 1.9 years. During the first year of glatiramer acetate treatment, the relapse rate decreased by 60%. At this time, the number of relapses had decreased for 47 patients (45.1%), 67 patients (68.4%) had not suffered a relapse and 78 patients (75.0%) showed no signs of progression. During the second year of glatiramer acetate treatment, the relapse rate decreased by 70%. At this time, the number of relapses had decreased for 43 patients (41.3%), 63 patients (75.9%) had not suffered a relapse and 59 patients (56.7%) showed no signs of progression. There were no reported relapses or progression in 56 patients (53.8%) and 41 patients (39.4%) during the first and second years of treatment, respectively. Discontinuation of glatiramer acetate was necessary in only three patients. The most common adverse effects included fatigue (28.9%) and spasticity (7.7%). CONCLUSION: This evaluation of glatiramer acetate use in clinical practice supports the effectiveness and the safety profile observed in previously published clinical trial studies.