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Quality of life and its relation with disease severity in Behçet's disease

I Ertam1, G Kitapcioglu, K Aksu

  • 1Department of Dermatology, Ege University Medical Faculty, Bornova-Izmir, Turkey. ilgen.ertam@ege.edu.tr

Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology
|October 3, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Quality of life is significantly reduced in patients with Behçet's disease (BD), a systemic vasculitis. Disease severity, particularly arthritis, vascular, and eye involvement, negatively impacts patient well-being.

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Immunology
  • Quality of Life Research

Background:

  • Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis known to affect patient quality of life.
  • Understanding the correlation between disease severity and quality of life is crucial for effective patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between Behçet's disease severity and the quality of life in affected patients.
  • To identify specific disease manifestations that contribute to quality of life impairment.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 195 Behçet's disease patients and 195 matched healthy controls were studied.
  • Disease severity was assessed using the Krause score.
  • Quality of life was evaluated using the Short-form-36 (SF-36) and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-100) scales.

Main Results:

  • BD patients reported significantly lower overall scores on both SF-36 and WHOQOL-100 compared to controls.
  • Higher Krause scores correlated negatively with general health, role-physical, psychological, and environmental domains of quality of life.
  • Arthritis, vascular, and eye involvement were associated with significantly worse outcomes in specific quality of life domains.

Conclusions:

  • Quality of life is demonstrably impaired in Behçet's disease patients and is directly related to disease severity.
  • Arthritis, vascular involvement, and eye involvement are significant contributors to the diminished quality of life in BD.
  • The findings underscore the need for comprehensive management strategies addressing disease activity and its impact on patient well-being.
Abstract

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