Search

Objective: To validate the Italian version of the Myasthenia Gravis Impairment Index (MGII).Introduction: MGII is a recent promising measure developed for MG patient evaluation. It includes a clinical severity evaluation and a patient-reported questionnaire. It has been developed in English and has demonstrated feasibility, reliability, and construct validity. Recently, its Dutch translation has been validated.Methods: MGII was translated to Italian with a multi-step forward process. We assessed correlations with the following scores: Istituto Nazionale Carlo Besta score for Myasthenia Gravis (INCB-MG), the MG Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL), the Myasthenia Gravis Composite (MGC), the Quality of Life 15 for Myasthenia Gravis (QOL15-MG), and the Myasthenia Gravis Disability (MGDIS). We also assessed differences in MGII scores by disease severity with the ANOVA Kruskal-Wallis test.Results: One hundred forty-one patients were enrolled. The mean MGII total score was 13.3 ± 11.9 (range 0-49), with a mean ocular subscore of 3.7 ± 4.7 and a mean MGII generalized subscore of 9.6 ± 9.0. As expected, the MGII had a good correlation with the other severity scores. The MGII had a lower floor effect (3.5%) than the other measures. Twenty-five patients were assessed in follow-up; as expected, the MGII change scores had moderate correlations with change in other MG severity measures and lower correlations with quality of life measures.Conclusions: The MGII score was cross-culturally validated in an Italian cohort of MG patients. We confirmed its lower floor effect and the correlations with other MG measures including INCB-MG that was not evaluated in previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychopathological diagnosis has become increasingly important in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), since the recent emphasis on the comprehensive management and end-of-life decisions. Rorschach test is the third most commonly used psychological instrument worldwide and can offer a different approach from self-reporting questionnaires, mainly providing information on issues of which individuals may be unaware or unwilling to admit to. Forty-two ALS patients underwent a psychopathological assessment with the Rorschach test. Psychopathological data were also correlated with skeletal muscle strength as measured by MRC scale and functional evaluation as ALSFRSr and FVC values. Psychopathological features, including suicidial ideation, were more frequent in the recently diagnosed ALS patients. These features were observed to be different according to the kind of functional impairment. Rorschach test may be an useful tool to assess psychopathological features in ALS. Results of our study highlight the need of an early psychopathological diagnosis and specific psychotherapeutic treatment in patients with ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]