This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 0269216308096906v1 22/8/938    most recent References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Janssen, D. Articles by Schols, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Janssen, D. Articles by Schols, J. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) Heart Failure Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Daily symptom burden in end-stage chronic organ failure: a systematic review

Central Department of Treatment and Care, Proteion Thuis, Horn daisyjanssen{at}proteion.nl

MA Spruit

Staff functionary of Department of Research, Development and Education, Centre for Integrated Rehabilitation of Organ failure (CIRO), Horn

EFM Wouters

Department of Respiratory Medicine, MUMC, Maastricht; Director of Centre for Integrated Rehabilitation of Organ failure (CIRO), Horn

JMGA Schols

Faculty of Health Medicine and Life sciences, Department of General Practice, University Maastricht, Maastricht

Chronic diseases are nowadays the major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Patients with end-stage chronic organ failure may suffer daily from distressful physical and psychological symptoms. The objective of the present study is to systematically review studies that examined daily symptom prevalence in patients with end-stage chronic organ failure, with attention to those that included patients with either congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or chronic renal failure (CRF). Thirty-nine articles (8 CHF, 7 COPD, 2 CHF and COPD, 22 CRF) have been included. The included studies used various study designs. There was a wide range of daily symptom prevalence that may be due to the heterogeneity in methodology used. Nevertheless, findings suggest significant symptom burden in these patients. This review highlights the need for further prospective and longitudinal research on symptom prevalence in patients with end-stage CHF, COPD and CRF to facilitate the development of patient-centred palliative care programs.

Key Words: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease • congestive heart failure • chronic kidney failure • palliative care • symptom burden

This version was published on December 1, 2008

Palliative Medicine, Vol. 22, No. 8, 938-948 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0269216308096906


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. J A Janssen, T. P G Alsemgeest, G. A M Widdershoven, E. F M Wouters, J. M G A Schols, and M. A Spruit Authors' reply BMJ, January 9, 2009; 338(jan09_1): b45 - b45. [Full Text]