| title: | Impact of gastrointestinal symptoms on health-related quality of life and copying with their chronic health condition: study of the patients with type 2 diabetes |
|---|---|
| reg no: | ETF6452 |
| project type: | Estonian Science Foundation research grant |
| status: | accepted |
| institution: | University of Tartu |
| head of project: | Margus Lember |
| duration: | 01.01.2005 - 31.12.2008 |
| description: | Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease connected with serious complications, comorbidity and remarkable health economic costs. The most important problem in the care of the diabetic patients is to avoid or postpone several complications of the disease. Quality of life of the diabetic persons can be influenced by different factors. Much attention has been paid to cardiovascular diseases in diabetic patients as vascular complications are wide-spread in these subjects. Ischaemic heart disease, atherosclerotic lesions of the legs, retinal damage, cerebrovascular and renovascular diseases are common in diabetics. Gastrointestinal symptoms have received less attention by researchers. In several studies it has been found that the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms seems to be increased in people with diabetes mellitus compared with the general population. However, the impact of these gastrointestinal complaints on health is unclear. There is very little available information regarding the nature of the relationship between quality of life and gastrointestinal symptoms among people with diabetes mellitus. It is not clear whether there exist any linkage between diabetes and hypolactasia (HL) in a population level in a country with average prevalence of HL- there is contradicting data on this hypothesis. There are no data available comparing the clinical symptoms of lactose intolerance of diabetic and non-diabetic persons with HL and whether milk intolerance and HL have a role in explaining gastrointestinal symptoms of the diabetic patients. Therefore the aims of the current project are: 1)To analyse frequency and characteristics of the gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with type 2 diabetes. 2)To assess quality of life and copying with the disease in patients with type 2 diabetes comparing this with corresponding data from the general population. 3)To compare the role of hypolactasia (as a condition often causing nonspecific abdominal complaints) in determining gastrointestinal symptoms and influencing quality of life in patients with diabetes. To control the hypothesis about possible linkage of hypolactasia and diabetes based on the example of the Estonian population. 4)To assess the role of gastrointestinal symptoms in having an impact on copying with the disease and quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes among other factors influencing their quality of life. The study group consists of the following subgroups: 1) random sample of the patients with type 2 diabetes drawn from the lists of family doctors; 2) consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes who have come to visit endocrinologists; 3) a representative population sample as a control group. The following methods will be used: 1)Study of the quality of life by SF 36 as a postal questionnaire; 2)Study of the copying with the disease by a new internationally adapted questionnaire- a postal questionnaire; 3) Study of the knowledge of the disease and treatment - a specially designed questionnaire, performed as a phone interview; 4) Study of the gastrointestinal symptoms by a specially designed questionnaire permitting registration of all symptoms during a certain time limit, their frequency, instensity and importance to the patients; 5) Genetic analysis to diagnose hypolactasia; 6)To diagnose lactose intolerance- a lactose test with breath hydrogen measurement; 7) Fasting blood glycose and glycosylated hemoglobin tests to detect compensation with diabetes. Importance of the study. It permits to assess quality of life in patients with diabetes and clarify the areas where quality of life (QOL) differs from that of the general population. Taking into consideration the increasing number of persons with diabetes in the coming decade it is important to be able to assess their QOL as a part of their health outcome and to plan the measures for copying with the problems that are of utmost importance to the diabetic patients. The current study helps to find out the importance of the gastrointestinal symptoms and the necessity of their special treatment in patients with diabetes; it also enables to assess the importance of HL in diabetics and give specific recommendations on nutrition. In the current study it will be first time when genetic analysis will be used in the population-based study for HL (permits to check the results of the earlier epidemiologic studies based on the indirect diagnostic methods). For the first time in Estonia a new method for diagnosing malabsorption will be used - a portative hydrogen analyser permitting measurement of breath hydrogen concentration. |
| project group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | name | institution | position | |
| 1. | Ruth Kalda | TÜ Polikliinik | associate professor | |
| 2. | Helgi Kolk | TÜ Sisekliinik | researcher | |
| 3. | Margus Lember | University of Tartu | professor, head of the Department of Internal Medicine | |
| 4. | Anneli Rätsep | TÜ Polikliinik | assistant, research fellow | |