Long term prognosis of functional weakness
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Long term prognosis of functional weakness
IRAS ID
77518
Contact name
Jon Stone
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Lothian R&D, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute
Eudract number
N/A
ISRCTN Number
N/A
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
LREC 1999/7/15, Previous Ethics Reference Number for original cohort study
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Functional weakness refers to genuine weakness of an arm or leg that can be positively identified as due to a functional disorder. Some other names for this problem are psychogenic or conversion disorder which wrongly suggest a problem that is 'all in the mind'. Between 1999 and 2003 we studied the largest ever group of patients with this disabling and distressing problem. This study was important and led to better understanding, greater awareness and better treatments; the impact was such that it led to new definitions of the disorder being adopted in DSM V and proposed for ICD-11.
Now we propose to perform a follow-up study of our previously studied cohort of 107 patients suffering from functional weakness, 46 patients with weakness due to neurological disease and 39 healthy controls.
Determining the prognosis (or "outcome") of functional disorders is essential for patient information. Useful information from a prognostic study includes general outcome ("what are the chances I can get better?"), information about risk factors ("which factors at the outset influence my chance of having a good outcome") and to improve treatment approach ("Were there treatment experiences which predicted better outcome?").
Existing prognostic studies in this field are scarce and methodologically poor. This will be the largest ever follow-up study of functional weakness and it will be on a group of patients who were well characterised at the outset.
We aim to follow-up all participants from the studied cohort at 13-16 years, to determine outcome of the functional weakness, quality of life and functioning, psychiatric co-morbidity, work status compared to the control groups and prognostic factors influencing outcome. We will publish the results in a scientific journal. This will be the longest and largest follow up study in this field and will be important for arguing for services for patients with functional weakness.
REC name
South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SC/0209
Date of REC Opinion
31 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion