Table 4: BASELINE SEVERE SYMPTOMS BY MSAS
(MEMORIAL SYMPTOM ASSESSMENT SCALE)1
|
N=84 |
|
| Domain: |
n |
(%) |
|
|
|
| Pain |
40 |
(48) |
| Lack of energy |
34 |
(41) |
| Lack of appetite |
22 |
(26) |
| Feeling sad |
21 |
(25) |
| Worrying |
21 |
(25) |
| Difficulty sleeping |
18 |
(21) |
| Change in body image ("I don't look like
myself") |
18 |
(21) |
| Shortness of breath |
16 |
(19) |
| Fever (lasting more than 2 weeks) |
16 |
(19) |
| Diarrhea |
15 |
(18) |
| Dry mouth |
14 |
(17) |
| Changes in skin |
14 |
(17) |
| Difficulty concentrating |
13 |
(16) |
| Numbness/tingling in hands/feet |
13 |
(16) |
| Itching |
13 |
(16) |
| Weight loss |
13 |
(16) |
| Feeling nervous |
12 |
(14) |
| Swelling of the arms or legs |
12 |
(14) |
| Feeling drowsy |
11 |
(13) |
| Vomiting |
10 |
(12) |
| Sweats |
10 |
(12) |
| Difficulty swallowing |
10 |
(12) |
| Feeling irritable |
9 |
(11) |
| Changes in the way food tastes |
9 |
(11) |
| Constipation |
9 |
(11) |
| Cough |
8 |
(10) |
| Feeling bloated |
8 |
(10) |
| Dizziness |
8 |
(10) |
| Median number of symptoms causing severe distress |
4 |
(range 0-25) |
1 Symptoms identified by patients
as having caused "quite a bit" or " very much" distress during the
past week.
Results based on 84 complete surveys. See reference 9.
[Citation: Selwyn PA, Rivard M, Kappell D, Goeren B, LaFosse H, Schwartz C, Caraballo R, Luciano D, Post LF. Palliative care for AIDS at a large urban teaching hospital: Program description and preliminary outcomes. Innovations in End-of-Life Care. 2002;4(3), www.edc.org/lastacts/]
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