O'Dell MW, Lubeck DP, O'Driscoll P; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 1996 Jul 7-12; 11: 324 (abstract no. Tu.B.2340).
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Fax: 513-558-4458.
Objective: The Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) is a widely used functional status measure in HIV medicine, however, there is little data on KPS responsiveness to change over time. Therefore, we examine changes in 7 standardized, self-reported health status measures (HSM) in persons with unchanged KPS scores, using a longitudinal, community-based cohort of persons with HIV infection. Methods: Within the cohort, 61 subjects were identified with greater than or equal 2 physician-assigned KPS scores and HSM data within 45 days of each score. The group was mostly white, homosexual males (mean age=44 yrs), 40% with AIDS and 90% with initial KPS greater than or equal 80. The mean time between KPS assignments was 12 (range 1-36) months. Results: Despite unchanged KPS scores, 62% of subjects demonstrated worsening global health and 50% declined in social function, as well as in the Medical Outcomes Study-HIV fatigue, mental health, and cognitive scores. Although all 7 HSM showed a mean decline between KPS assignments, only global health, social function, and symptoms were statistically significant (paired t-test, p is less than .01). Conclusions: Although the KPS is simple and user-friendly, a drop in health status was common without a change in KPS score. Our data questions the ability of the KPS to detect change for some health status constructs. A potential limitation is the difficulty in defining a "clinically significant change" for a given HSM. Further research should include more representative and larger samples, and a more uniform time between KPS assessments.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Activities of Daily Living
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Health Status
- Health Status Indicators
- Karnofsky Performance Status
- Male
- Mental Health
- Time and Motion Studies
- rehabilitation
Other ID:
UI: 102218441
From Meeting Abstracts