High symptom burden negatively impacted several aspects of daily life for patients with idiopathic multicentric Castleman Disease (iMCD) and their caregivers, according to findings published in eClinicalMedicine. John Brazier, PhD, MSc, and colleagues examined the type, frequency, and severity of iMCD symptoms and their impact on daily life for patients and informal caregivers using online surveys. Patients described as many as 27 unique symptoms, and the mean number of symptoms experienced by a patient was 6.7 (range, 0-22). The majority of symptoms had a moderate to severe impact on patients’ daily lives, with pain/discomfort, the ability to travel, and sexual functioning most often affected. Certain patient characteristics, including being a woman, being 40 or older, and being either disabled or unemployed were significantly associated with a negative effect on daily life. For caregivers, aspects of daily life that were disproportionately affected included their own social life and their emotional wellbeing. Patients with iMCD have a “widely varied and unappreciated symptomatology,” Dr. Brazier and colleagues wrote.
