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Sertraline Improves Quality of Life in Patients With Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Presented at ADAA
By Thomas S. May
TORONTO, ON -- April 1, 2003 -- Sertraline treatment results in significant improvements in quality of life (QoL) and functioning in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), according to a study presented here March 29th at the 23rd Annual Conference of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.
Arun Ravindran, MD, of the University of Ottawa, ON, Canada, and colleagues from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, as well as researchers from Sweden and the US conducted the study to evaluate the effects of sertraline on QoL and work productivity in GAD.
The investigators enrolled 370 outpatients with GAD as diagnosed using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - Revision IV criteria. Patients were randomized to 12 weeks of double-blind treatment with flexible doses (50-150 mg) of sertraline (N=182; 59% female) or placebo (N=188; 51% female).
The mean dose of sertraline at end point was 95.1 mg. Treatment with sertraline was well tolerated, and discontinuations due to adverse events were similar for sertraline (8.2%) and placebo (10%), the investigators reported.
Efficacy measures included the 14-item Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), the Quality of Life, Enjoyment, and Satisfaction scale (Q-LES-Q), the Endicott Work Productivity impairment scale (EWP-impairment), and a 10-point visual analogue scale measuring perceived state of health (VAS-health).
Treatment with sertraline resulted in significantly greater improvement compared to placebo on the Q-LES-Q (+9.0 vs. +2.4; P<0.0001), the EWP-impairment score (-9.2 vs. -2.5; P<0.0001), and the VAS-health scale (+1.7 vs. +0.8; P<0.0001).
Improvement in QoL occurred early (significant at first assessment at week 6) and was consistent across all scale items on both the Q-LES-Q and the EWP-impairment scale.
Pfizer Inc. provided financial support for this study.
[Study title: Efficacy of Sertraline in Improving Quality of Life and Functioning in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Abstract P15]
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