Is the quality of life different in patients with active and inactive tuberculosis?

The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) in outpatients with active and inactive tuberculosis, and to study the relations between QOL and demographic and socio-cultural chracteristics and variables concerning the disease and depression.

Included in the present study were 196 active and 108 inactive cases who attended Dispensary for Tuberculosis within a one year period, plus 196 healthy controls. In this study, questionnaire form, SF 36 quality of life scale and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used.

It was determined that in all fields of QOL, scores of the control group were higher than those of the patient groups. QOL scores in physical and social functionality dimensions of inactive cases were higher than in active cases (p < 0.001 ). As BDI scores increased in active and inactive cases, physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) decreased. As the treatment period increased in active cases, MCS increased. In active and inactive cases, marital status and accompanying diseases have an effect on the decrease of PCS scores (p < 0.05). In patients with tuberculosis, the QOL of men, single, patients with a high level of education and those not having a disease that accompanies tuberculosis were found to be high (p < 0.05). The QOL was negatively correlated with age and BDI, while being positively correlated with monthly income, daily sleep period and treatment period (p < 0.05).

It is stated that in inactive tuberculosis cases, as in active cases, QOL is deformed and demographic-socio cultural chracteristics, depression, daily sleep period, treatment period and accompanying diseases are factors that affect quality of life.