@article{SchreiberSchneideratKressetal.2013,
  author    = {Schreiber, Olivia and Schneiderat, Peter and Kress, Wolfram and Rautenstrauss, Bernd and Senderek, Jan and Schoser, Bendikt and Walter, Maggie C.},
  title     = {Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy and Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy 1A-evidence for "double trouble" overlapping syndromes},
  series = {BMC Medical Genetics},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {BMC Medical Genetics},
  number    = {92},
  issn      = {1471-2350},
  doi       = {10.1186/1471-2350-14-92},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121963},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Background: We report on a patient with genetically confirmed overlapping diagnoses of CMT1A and FSHD. This case adds to the increasing number of unique patients presenting with atypical phenotypes, particularly in FSHD. Even if a mutation in one disease gene has been found, further genetic testing might be warranted in cases with unusual clinical presentation. Case presentation: The reported 53 years old male patient suffered from walking difficulties and foot deformities first noticed at age 20. Later on, he developed scapuloperoneal and truncal muscle weakness, along with atrophy of the intrinsic hand and foot muscles, pes cavus, claw toes and a distal symmetric hypoesthesia. Motor nerve conduction velocities were reduced to 20 m/s in the upper extremities, and not educible in the lower extremities, sensory nerve conduction velocities were not attainable. Electromyography showed both, myopathic and neurogenic changes. A muscle biopsy taken from the tibialis anterior muscle showed a mild myopathy with some neurogenic findings and hypertrophic type 1 fibers. Whole-body muscle MRI revealed severe changes in the lower leg muscles, tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles were highly replaced by fatty tissue. Additionally, fatty degeneration of shoulder girdle and straight back muscles, and atrophy of dorsal upper leg muscles were seen. Taken together, the presenting features suggested both, a neuropathy and a myopathy. Patient's family history suggested an autosomal dominant inheritance. Molecular testing revealed both, a hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy type 1A (HMSN1A, also called Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy 1A, CMT1A) due to a PMP22 gene duplication and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) due to a partial deletion of the D4Z4 locus (19 kb). Conclusion: Molecular testing in hereditary neuromuscular disorders has led to the identification of an increasing number of atypical phenotypes. Nevertheless, finding the right diagnosis is crucial for the patient in order to obtain adequate medical care and appropriate genetic counseling, especially in the background of arising curative therapies.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SchischlevskijCordtsGuentheretal.2021,
  author    = {Schischlevskij, Pavel and Cordts, Isabell and G{\"u}nther, Ren{\´e} and Stolte, Benjamin and Zeller, Daniel and Schr{\"o}ter, Carsten and Weyen, Ute and Regensburger, Martin and Wolf, Joachim and Schneider, Ilka and Hermann, Andreas and Metelmann, Moritz and Kohl, Zacharias and Linker, Ralf A. and Koch, Jan Christoph and Stendel, Claudia and M{\"u}schen, Lars H. and Osmanovic, Alma and Binz, Camilla and Klopstock, Thomas and Dorst, Johannes and Ludolph, Albert C. and Boentert, Matthias and Hagenacker, Tim and Deschauer, Marcus and Lingor, Paul and Petri, Susanne and Schreiber-Katz, Olivia},
  title     = {Informal caregiving in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): a high caregiver burden and drastic consequences on caregivers' lives},
  series = {Brain Sciences},
  volume    = {11},
  journal   = {Brain Sciences},
  number    = {6},
  issn      = {2076-3425},
  doi       = {10.3390/brainsci11060748},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-240981},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive autonomy loss and need for care. This does not only affect patients themselves, but also the patients' informal caregivers (CGs) in their health, personal and professional lives. The big efforts of this multi-center study were not only to evaluate the caregivers' burden and to identify its predictors, but it also should provide a specific understanding of the needs of ALS patients' CGs and fill the gap of knowledge on their personal and work lives. Using standardized questionnaires, primary data from patients and their main informal CGs (n = 249) were collected. Patients' functional status and disease severity were evaluated using the Barthel Index, the revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R) and the King's Stages for ALS. The caregivers' burden was recorded by the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Comorbid anxiety and depression of caregivers were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Additionally, the EuroQol Five Dimension Five Level Scale evaluated their health-related quality of life. The caregivers' burden was high (mean ZBI = 26/88, 0 = no burden, ≥24 = highly burdened) and correlated with patients' functional status (r\(_p\) = -0.555, p < 0.001, n = 242). It was influenced by the CGs' own mental health issues due to caregiving (+11.36, 95\% CI [6.84; 15.87], p < 0.001), patients' wheelchair dependency (+9.30, 95\% CI [5.94; 12.66], p < 0.001) and was interrelated with the CGs' depression (r\(_p\) = 0.627, p < 0.001, n = 234), anxiety (r\(_p\) = 0.550, p < 0.001, n = 234), and poorer physical condition (r\(_p\) = -0.362, p < 0.001, n = 237). Moreover, female CGs showed symptoms of anxiety more often, which also correlated with the patients' impairment in daily routine (r\(_s\) = -0.280, p < 0.001, n = 169). As increasing disease severity, along with decreasing autonomy, was the main predictor of caregiver burden and showed to create relevant (negative) implications on CGs' lives, patient care and supportive therapies should address this issue. Moreover, in order to preserve the mental and physical health of the CGs, new concepts of care have to focus on both, on not only patients but also their CGs and gender-associated specific issues. As caregiving in ALS also significantly influences the socioeconomic status by restrictions in CGs' work lives and income, and the main reported needs being lack of psychological support and a high bureaucracy, the situation of CGs needs more attention. Apart from their own multi-disciplinary medical and psychological care, more support in care and patient management issues is required.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{PeseschkianCordtsGuentheretal.2021,
  author    = {Peseschkian, Tara and Cordts, Isabell and G{\"u}nther, Ren{\´e} and Stolte, Benjamin and Zeller, Daniel and Schr{\"o}ter, Carsten and Weyen, Ute and Regensburger, Martin and Wolf, Joachim and Schneider, Ilka and Hermann, Andreas and Metelmann, Moritz and Kohl, Zacharias and Linker, Ralf A. and Koch, Jan Christoph and B{\"u}chner, Boriana and Weiland, Ulrike and Sch{\"o}nfelder, Erik and Heinrich, Felix and Osmanovic, Alma and Klopstock, Thomas and Dorst, Johannes and Ludolph, Albert C. and Boentert, Matthias and Hagenacker, Tim and Deschauer, Marcus and Lingor, Paul and Petri, Susanne and Schreiber-Katz, Olivia},
  title     = {A nation-wide, multi-center study on the quality of life of ALS patients in Germany},
  series = {Brain Sciences},
  volume    = {11},
  journal   = {Brain Sciences},
  number    = {3},
  issn      = {2076-3425},
  doi       = {10.3390/brainsci11030372},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234147},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Improving quality of life (QoL) is central to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) treatment. This Germany-wide, multicenter cross-sectional study analyses the impact of different symptom-specific treatments and ALS variants on QoL. Health-related QoL (HRQoL) in 325 ALS patients was assessed using the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assessment Questionnaire 5 (ALSAQ-5) and EuroQol Five Dimension Five Level Scale (EQ-5D-5L), together with disease severity (captured by the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R)) and the current care and therapies used by our cohort. At inclusion, the mean ALSAQ-5 total score was 56.93 (max. 100, best = 0) with a better QoL associated with a less severe disease status (β = -1.96 per increase of one point in the ALSFRS-R score, p < 0.001). "Limb-onset" ALS (lALS) was associated with a better QoL than "bulbar-onset" ALS (bALS) (mean ALSAQ-5 total score 55.46 versus 60.99, p = 0.040). Moreover, with the ALSFRS-R as a covariate, using a mobility aid (β = -7.60, p = 0.001), being tracheostomized (β = -14.80, p = 0.004) and using non-invasive ventilation (β = -5.71, p = 0.030) were associated with an improved QoL, compared to those at the same disease stage who did not use these aids. In contrast, antidepressant intake (β = 5.95, p = 0.007), and increasing age (β = 0.18, p = 0.023) were predictors of worse QoL. Our results showed that the ALSAQ-5 was better-suited for ALS patients than the EQ-5D-5L. Further, the early and symptom-specific clinical management and supply of assistive devices can significantly improve the individual HRQoL of ALS patients. Appropriate QoL questionnaires are needed to monitor the impact of treatment to provide the best possible and individualized care.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WohnradeVellingMixetal.2023,
  author    = {Wohnrade, Camilla and Velling, Ann-Kathrin and Mix, Lucas and Wurster, Claudia D. and Cordts, Isabell and Stolte, Benjamin and Zeller, Daniel and Uzelac, Zeljko and Platen, Sophia and Hagenacker, Tim and Deschauer, Marcus and Lingor, Paul and Ludolph, Albert C. and Lul{\´e}, Doroth{\´e}e and Petri, Susanne and Osmanovic, Alma and Schreiber-Katz, Olivia},
  title     = {Health-related quality of life in spinal muscular atrophy patients and their caregivers — a prospective, cross-sectional, multi-center analysis},
  series = {Brain Sciences},
  volume    = {13},
  journal   = {Brain Sciences},
  number    = {1},
  issn      = {2076-3425},
  doi       = {10.3390/brainsci13010110},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-305048},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a disabling disease that affects not only the patient's health-related quality of life (HRQoL), but also causes a high caregiver burden (CGB). The aim of this study was to evaluate HRQoL, CGB, and their predictors in SMA. In two prospective, cross-sectional, and multi-center studies, SMA patients (n = 39) and SMA patient/caregiver couples (n = 49) filled in the EuroQoL Five Dimension Five Level Scale (EQ-5D-5L) and the Short Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36). Caregivers (CGs) additionally answered the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Patients were clustered into two groups with either low or high HRQoL (EQ-5D-5L index value <0.259 or >0.679). The latter group was mostly composed of ambulatory type III patients with higher motor/functional scores. More severely affected patients reported low physical functioning but good mental health and vitality. The CGB (mean ZBI = 22/88) correlated negatively with patients' motor/functional scores and age. Higher CGB was associated with a lower HRQoL, higher depression and anxiety, and more health impairments of the CGs. We conclude that patient and CG well-being levels interact closely, which highlights the need to consider the health of both parties while evaluating novel treatments.},
  language  = {en}
}