Introduction: Patients with mastocytosis have various clinical and psychological symptoms, for example, life-threatening anaphylactic reactions or anxiety, resulting in decreased quality of life (QoL). Aim: To assess the clinical and psychological symptoms (such as depression, anxiety) as well as the quality of life and satisfaction with life in patients with mastocytosis. Material and methods: The study group included 85 patients with mastocytosis (57 women and 28 men) treated
To the Editor, Mastocytosis is a hematological neoplasm with a broad spectrum of disease caused by mast cell (MC) infiltration (i.e., impairment of function of bone marrow, liver) and degranulation (i.e., anaphylaxis). 1
Recent data indicate psychological factors and neurological factors. 2This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Introduction: Appropriate and targeted psychological care, as well as psychoeducation covering the disease causes, symptoms, and their management are crucial elements of the therapeutic process in patients with mastocytosis. This care is based on the identification of problematic areas that are of the greatest importance for patients. The quality of life questionnaires available in Poland are designed for the general population; therefore, they do not encompass the specificity of difficulties experienced by people suffering from mastocytosis. Aim: To develop a questionnaire measuring the quality of life in patients with mastocytosis, and including the issues and symptoms typical for this group. Material and methods: The study involved 85 patients (57 women and 28 men) suffering from mastocytosis. Results: The analyses revealed that the Quality of Life in Mastocytosis Scale (QLMS) is a reliable and valid tool for measuring the quality of life, and it takes into account the specific difficulties experienced by patients with mastocytosis. Apart from the measurement of the global quality of life, QLMS offers a deeper assessment of the quality of patient's lives, including the difficulties in professional life, everyday life, leisure time, or those associated with protective behaviours. Conclusions: The presented questionnaire completes a gap in quality-of-life studies by allowing to plan psychoeducation and offering a tool for a precise diagnosis of the quality of life in patients with mastocytosis.
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