Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Aliso Viego, Calif, recently announced in a news release that a survey conducted by Harris Interactive, indicates that in a variety of neurologic patient populations including stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and multiple sclerosis (MS), pseudobulbar  affect (PBA) symptoms may be linked to a considerable burden of illness among PBA patients and primary caregivers.

The results reportedly stem from an online survey that was provided to neurologic patients across six underlying conditions commonly linked to PBA including stroke, TBI, ALS, MS, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers note that the 1,052 respondents included 399 PBA group participants who scored 13 or greater on the Center for Neurologic Study Liability Scale. The survey also encompassed 653 matched neurologic controls. Researchers say they used a series of medically validated scales to measure various aspects of burden of illness in the PBA group respondents and controls. 

These tests included the Screen for Caregiver Burden (SCB), the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the QOL and QOR visual analog scales measuring impact of involuntary laughing or crying episodes associated with the condition. The results indicate that the PBA group exhibited significantly lower scores when compared to the non-PBA controls on the SF-36 health survey, in the QOL and QOR visual analog scales, and workplace productivity items. The results also suggest that PBA symptoms contributed to 24% of respondents becoming housebound and supervised living placement for 9%.

Caregiver burden prevalence and distress scores were also higher among caregivers compared with the control group. The PBA group also displayed greater impairment on measures of general health status, occupational and social function, a significantly higher incidence of depressive symptoms when compared to the controls.

Randall Kaye, MD, chief medical officer at Avanir Pharmaceuticals, emphasizes the survey results’ importance as they can potentially, “help health care practitioners better appreciate and understand the multi-faceted impact of PBA symptoms in patients and their caregivers.” 

For more information, visit http://www.PBAinfo.org

Source: Avanir Pharmceuticals, Inc