Relationship between clinical examination, Quality of Life, disability and depression in CMT patients: Italian Multicenter study

OBJECTIVE: To assess which are the clinical examination tests that are more related to quality of life (QoL), depression, and disability in CMT patients. DESIGN: Large prospective multicenter study through the use of validated clinical, disability, and QoL measurements. Correlations between clinical pattern and disability/QoL and depression were studied. SETTING: Departments of Neurology. PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS: 211 CMT patients (60% females, mean age 42.5 years). INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Sensory function was related to both mental and physical aspects of patient's QoL. Ability to walk on toes and heels was related to physical aspects of QoL/disability but also to bodily pain. Strength of forearm/hand intrinsic muscles was related to disability and physical aspects of QoL. CONCLUSIONS: Some clinical tests may be better outcome measures than others because they are related to aspects of life highly relevant to the patients. This information may be useful in clinical practice and in clinical trials to infer the patient's QoL