Borman Pinar, Moffatt Christine, Murray Susie, Yaman Aysegul, Denizli Merve, Dalyan Meltem, Unsal-Delialioğlu Sibel, Eyigör Sibel, Ayhan Figen, Çakıt Burcu Duyur, Vural Secil, Özdemir Oya, Kurt Eda, Çelik Evrim Coşkun, Cerrahoğlu Lale, Kepekçi Müge, Terzioğlu Fusun, Donmez Ayşe Arikan
1 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR), University of Hacettepe Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
2 Lymphedema Research and Practice Center, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
Lymphat Res Biol. 2019 Apr;17(2):202-210. doi: 10.1089/lrb.2019.0015.
Lymphedema and chronic edema is a major health care problem in both developed and nondeveloped countries The Lymphoedema Impact and Prevelance - International (LIMPRINT) study is an international health service-based study to determine the prevalence and functional impact in adult populations of member countries of the International Lymphoedema Framework (ILF). A total of 1051 patients from eight centers in Turkey were recruited using the LIMPRINT study protocol. Data were collected using the core and module tools that assess the demographic and clinical properties as well as disability and quality of life (QoL). Most of the Turkish patients were recruited from specialist lymphedema services and were found to be women, housewives, and having secondary lymphedema because of cancer treatment. The duration of lymphedema was commonly <5 years and most of them had International Society of Lymphology (ISL) grade 2 lymphedema. Cellulitis, infection, and wounds were uncommon. The majority of patients did not get any treatment or advice before. Most of the patients had impaired QoL and decreased functionality, but psychological support was neglected. Although most had social health security access to lymphedema centers, nevertheless access seemed difficult because of distance and cost. The study has shown the current status and characteristics of lymphedema patients, treatment conditions, the unmet need for the diagnosis and treatment, as well as burden of the disease in both patients and families in Turkey. National health policies are needed for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in Turkey that utilize this informative data.
淋巴水肿和慢性水肿在发达国家和不发达国家都是一个重大的医疗保健问题。国际淋巴水肿影响与患病率研究（LIMPRINT）是一项基于国际卫生服务的研究，旨在确定国际淋巴水肿框架（ILF）成员国成年人群中的患病率及其功能影响。按照LIMPRINT研究方案，从土耳其的八个中心招募了总共1051名患者。使用核心工具和模块工具收集数据，这些工具用于评估人口统计学和临床特征以及残疾情况和生活质量（QoL）。大多数土耳其患者是从专业淋巴水肿服务机构招募的，发现她们多为女性、家庭主妇，且因癌症治疗而患有继发性淋巴水肿。淋巴水肿的病程通常小于5年，大多数患者患有国际淋巴学会（ISL）2级淋巴水肿。蜂窝织炎、感染和伤口并不常见。大多数患者以前没有接受过任何治疗或建议。大多数患者的生活质量受损，功能下降，但心理支持被忽视。尽管大多数患者通过社会健康保障能够前往淋巴水肿中心，但由于距离和费用问题，就诊似乎仍很困难。该研究显示了土耳其淋巴水肿患者的现状和特征、治疗情况、诊断和治疗方面未满足的需求，以及患者及其家庭的疾病负担。土耳其需要利用这些信息数据制定国家卫生政策，以进行预防、诊断和治疗。
