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Health-related quality of life and fatigue in patients with adrenal incidentaloma

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Abstract

The objective of the present study was to examine several dimensions of quality of life (QoL) and fatigue in patients with adrenal incidentaloma. This was a case–control study designed to analyze patient outcomes using three validated generic QoL questionnaires, EQ-5D, SF-36, and MFI-20, the results of which were compared to those obtained for age- and sex-matched controls. The study population comprised 139 consecutive patients with nonfunctioning adrenal masses (104 females, 35 males; age 59.1 ± 10.8) and 139 age- and sex-matched controls. Reduced QoL was found in patients with adrenal incidentaloma as compared to controls. Dimensions of QoL that were notably affected included mobility (P = 0.03), performance of usual activities (P = 0.002), and anxiety/depression (P = 0.04) as evaluated using the EQ-5D; physical functioning (P < 0.001), physical role (P < 0.001), general health (P < 0.001), vitality (P = 0.001), social functioning (P = 0.001), and emotional role (P < 0.001) as evaluated using the SF-36; and physical fatigue (P = 0.04) as assessed using the MFI-20 questionnaire. In addition, perceived health on a visual analogue scale was also significantly lower in patients than in controls (64.8 ± 19.2 vs. 77.1 ± 15.1; P < 0.001). Patients with adrenal incidentaloma reported reduced QoL and a higher level of physical fatigue compared to age- and sex-matched controls. This subject will benefit from further studies comparing QoL outcomes of laparoscopic adrenalectomy versus no treatment in patients with adrenal incidentaloma.

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Acknowledgment

The study was funded by Research Program No. 108-0000000-3496 of the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sport.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Darko Kastelan, Tina Dusek, Tanja Bencevic, Izet Aganovic, Zeljko Kastelan & Mirko Korsic

  2. Department of Endocrinology, University Hospital Zagreb, Kispaticeva 12, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Darko Kastelan, Fedja Dzubur, Tina Dusek, Ivana Kraljevic, Izet Aganovic & Mirko Korsic

  3. Vuk Vrhovac University Clinic for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Zagreb, Croatia

    Tamara Poljicanin

  4. Department of Endocrinology, University Hospital Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia

    Zeljka Crncevic-Orlic

  5. University Hospital for Pulmonary Diseases, Zagreb, Croatia

    Mirsala Solak

  6. Department of Urology, University Hospital Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Nikola Knezevic & Zeljko Kastelan

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  1. Darko Kastelan
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  2. Fedja Dzubur
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  3. Tina Dusek
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  7. Mirsala Solak
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  8. Tanja Bencevic
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  9. Izet Aganovic
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Correspondence to Darko Kastelan.

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Kastelan, D., Dzubur, F., Dusek, T. et al. Health-related quality of life and fatigue in patients with adrenal incidentaloma. Endocrine 40, 84–89 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-011-9456-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-011-9456-3

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