Article Text
Abstract
Introduction The Diabetes Symptom Checklist-Revised (DSC-R) is a well-validated patient-reported outcome designed to assess symptom burden in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) across eight domains. The DSC-R has so far primarily been used in research settings. With the aim to make the DSC-R applicable in clinical practice by improving its interpretability, we sought to identify patient characteristics associated with DSC-R (domain) scores as a first initiative toward reference values.
Research design and methods We used baseline data from two large observational studies to select patient characteristics significantly associated with DSC-R domain and total scores. Multivariable Tobit analyses with the backward procedure per (domain) score were performed.
Results Data from 1531 participants with T2DM were included. On a 0–100 scale, the median DSC-R total score was 15.88 (7.06–29.41), with domain scores ranging from 5.00 (0.00–22.50) (pain) to 35.00 (10.00–60.00) (fatigue). Low well-being status was most profoundly associated with higher scores across all domains. Persons with one or more complication, as well as one or more symptomatic hypoglycemic episode during the past 3 months, scored higher on (almost) all domains and the total scale.
Conclusions Complications, symptomatic hypoglycemia, and low well-being are important characteristics to take into account when using the DSC-R in individual patients. Further validation of our findings is warranted in diverse patient populations.
- complication(s)
- hypoglycemia
- well-being
- type 2 diabetes
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Footnotes
Contributors THW, MW, and FJS designed the study. THW performed the data analyses and drafted the manuscript. JWRT supported the data analyses. MW, JWRT, and FJS provided feedback on the manuscript (drafts), which was processed by THW. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests The data reported here were collected from previous studies conducted with a grant from Sanofi received by the institution (Amsterdam UMC, location VU University Medical Center).
Patient consent for publication Not required.
Ethics approval The current study is based on two existing data sets. Both studies were, in view of their observational and non-invasive nature, not subject to the Dutch Medical Research Involving Human Subjects Act.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Data availability statement The de-identified participant data that underlie the results reported in this article are available from m.dewit@amsterdamumc.nl upon reasonable request to researchers who provide a methodological sound proposal. Other documents that are available are study protocols and analytic codes. Proposals may be submitted up to 24 months following article publication.