Epidemiology and Characteristics of Episodic Breathlessness in Advanced Cancer Patients: An Observational Study.
J Pain Symptom Manage
; 51(1): 17-24, 2016 Jan.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26416339
ABSTRACT
CONTEXT Episodic breathlessness is a relevant aspect in patients with advanced cancer. OBJECTIVES:
The aim of this study was to assess the different aspects of this clinical phenomenon.METHODS:
A consecutive sample of patients with advanced cancer admitted to different settings for a period of six months was surveyed. The presence of background breathlessness and episodic breathlessness, their intensity (numerical scale 0-10), and drugs used for treatment were collected. Factors inducing episodic breathlessness and its influence on daily activities were investigated.RESULTS:
Of 921 patients, 29.3% (n = 269) had breathlessness and 134 patients (49.8%) were receiving drugs for background breathlessness. In the multivariate analysis, the risk of breathlessness increased with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, although it decreased in patients receiving disease-oriented therapy and patients with gastrointestinal tumors. The prevalence of episodic breathlessness was 70.9% (n = 188), and its mean intensity was 7.1 (SD 1.6). The mean duration of untreated episodic breathlessness was 19.9 minutes (SD 35.3); 41% of these patients were receiving drugs for episodic breathlessness. The majority of episodic breathlessness events (88.2%) were triggered by activity. In the multivariate analysis, higher Karnofsky Performance Status levels were significantly related to episodic breathlessness, although patients receiving disease-oriented therapy were less likely to have episodic breathlessness.CONCLUSION:
This study showed that episodic breathlessness frequently occurs in patients with breathlessness in the advanced stage of disease, has a severe intensity, and is characterized by rapid onset and short duration, which require rapid measures.Palavras-chave
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Dispneia
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Neoplasias
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
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Prevalence_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
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Screening_studies
Limite:
Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2016
Tipo de documento:
Article