The primary aim of this study was to measure psychological distress, pain severity, health related quality of life (QOL) and pain coping strategies in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and ulcerative colitis (UC). A second aim was to determine the influence of somatic and psychological variables on health related QOL. Eighty-eight IBS and 66 UC patients completed the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Quality of Life Questionnaire (IBSQOL), Pain Severity Scale of West Haven Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYMPY), Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) and Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ). T-tests and GLM Analysis of Covariance were used for statistical analysis. IBS patients had significantly higher levels of psychological distress, pain severity and maladaptive pain coping strategies (catastrophization), and lower QOL than UC patients. Variance of QOL in IBS was explained for the most part by catastrophization (15%), then by psychological distress (8%), and for the less part by pain severity (5%). In UC, pain severity explained 21%, psychological distress 8%, and catastrophization 3% of the variance of QOL. These results suggest there are differences between IBS and UC patients in the role of physical and psychological factors in QOL and emphasize the importance of cognitive processes in IBS.

Health-related quality of life measurements are gaining more importance in the study and clinical practice of multiple sclerosis. The aim of our study was the adaptation of the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Instrument (MSQOL-54) in Hungarian. The study was carried out at the Department of Neurology, University of Szeged and two other multiple sclerosis centers. The Hungarian translation of the questionnaire was given to patients at the outpatient units of the neurology departments. The EDSS score of the patients were determined and data concerning the onset and the clinical form of the disease was collected. Altogether 438 patients filled out the questionnaire. We enrolled patients with all clinical forms of the disease. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were over 0.8 in case of all scales except ;Rolelimitations - emotional' (0.794), indicating a good internal consistency reliability for group comparisons. The instrument was able to distinguish between known clinical group differences. The Hungarian version of the MSQOL-54 instrument shows good psychometric properties similar to the original questionnaire.

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Our objective was to investigate symptoms of depression in early rheumatoid arthritis (eRA) patients, and follow them longitudinally during a 3-year prospective study of 73 Hungarian and 45 Austrian early rheumatoid arthritis patients. Compared to validated national population data, mild symptoms of depression were detected in Hungarian early rheumatoid arthritis patients, which were independent of corticosteroid use. In the Hungarian subgroup, the Beck Depression Inventory scores were found to be stable during follow-up. Except at the baseline visit, depressive symptoms and functional status, as measured by the Health Assessment Questionnaire, were correlated. Significant differences were detected between Austrian and Hungarian patients despite of their geographical and cultural proximity. The mean depression score was higher in the Hungarian when compared to the Austrian patients. Depression is an important feature of early rheumatoid arthritis. Studies assessing depression in rheumatoid arthritis patients must be based on validated national data of normal population.