Abstract
Purpose
Many patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The influence of psychological and economic factors on HRQOL has not been fully elucidated in IBD. Therefore, we aimed to identify the predictors of HRQOL in an IBD cohort.
Patients and methods
This was a cross-sectional cohort study of patients presenting to our tertiary IBD center. HRQOL was measured using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ). Anxiety and depression were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Perceived stress and perceived social support were also assessed by standardized scales. Demographic, socioeconomic and clinical data were obtained from a prespecified questionnaire and patients’ medical records. Univariate analyses and multiple regression analysis were performed to identify predictors of HRQOL.
Results
A total of 242 IBD patients were recruited, and the questionnaire return rate was 90.5% (219/242). The prevalence rates of anxiety and depression were 24.7% and 17.4%, respectively. In all, 30.6% of the patients spent over half of their income to cover medical costs. Multivariate analysis revealed that anxiety symptoms (P<0.001), active disease (P<0.001) and higher medical expenditures (P=0.001) were strong and independent predictors of reduced HRQOL.
Conclusion
Psychological factors and costs of medical care strongly impair HRQOL in IBD, independent of the disease activity. Psychological counseling and socioeconomic support programs should be considered for integration into the management of IBD patients.
Acknowledgments
This study was financially supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC grant nos 81470821, 81270473 and 81500501). We appreciate Ying-fan Zhang for collecting data during this study. We also appreciate Doctor Rui Feng and Doctor Rupert WL Leong for critically reviewing this article.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.