OBJECTIVES: The aim of this work is to build representative correction standards for the most widely used generic Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) questionnaires.

METHODS: A prospective sample of patients, suffering from Parkinson disease (PD), was recruited by 6 researchers from the Parkinson Patient Association from Madrid (Spain). The following instruments were autocompleted. HRQoL: Medical Survey Outcomes SF-36, EuroQoL (EQ-5D), Mark Health Utility Index-III (HUI). Disease severity and symptoms: a brief version of the UPDRS, State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale (HADS). Sample population descriptive statistics and correlations were computed. All patients were under treatment for their health condition and gave their informed consent to participate in the study.

RESULTS: An initial sample of 55 patients [mean age 73.6 years old (SD=9.16), 38% being women] was enrolled. Ninety four percent suffered from idiopathic PD, mean disease span was 9.9 years (SD=8.66) and 96% were under treatment. PD severity ranged between 2 and 4, 37% could be diagnosed of clinical anxiety and 78% of clinical depression (HADS). Mean score in SF-36 physical component was 30.7 (SD=7.21) and 47.9 (SD=10.97) in the mental component. Mean VAS score was 61.1 (SD=19.33). Mean utility values were SF-6D=0.475 (SD=0.227), EQ-5D=0.577 (SD=0.187), and HUI=0.482 (SD=0.265).

CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results show that generic HRQoL instruments are capable of capturing health deterioration in patients suffering from Parkinson disease, although specific instruments should be more suitable for diagnosis purposes. Meaningful differences were found between the three utility instruments, which should be taken into account when assessing or comparing groups of patients. These are initial results and a wider sample is to be gathered.