Health related quality of life among the Thai people with unilateral lower limb amputation

To study the health related quality of life (HRQOL) among Thai unilateral lower limb amputees and determine the factors associated with a good HRQOL.

A postal survey with the WHOQOL-BREF-Thai questionnaire (26 items) to 1300 people with LLA who received a lower limb prostheses from Siriraj Hospital, Prapokklao Hospital, and Ratchaburi Hospital between 2001 and 2005 was conducted. Descriptive statistics were used to report the level of HRQOL. Chi-Square, independent Sample t-test and multivariate analysis by stepwise logistic regression were used to determine the factors associated with a good QOL.

Three hundred and nine questionnaires were completed from the 321 returned questionnaires (response rate 24.7%). Among these, 278 people were with unilateral LLA. They were 221 males and 57 females with mean age 46.9 +/- 13.9 years old. The number of people with LLA who had poor, fair and good QOL were 14 (5%), 241 (86.7%), and 23 (8.3%), respectively. Demographically, the people with LLA who had long duration of amputation (p = 0.001), higher education (p = 0.005), and had been employed after amputation (p < 0.001) had significantly better HRQOL. The amputees who had good wearing comfort (p = 0.04) after wearing the prostheses, had no phantom pain (p = 0.02), used no gait aids (p = 0.01), and had no body image anxiety (p = 0.01) had significantly better HRQOL. The factors associated with the good HRQOL were higher education (OR 3.2), having been employed after amputation (OR 2.1), and having good prosthetic wearing comfort (OR 1.3).

Thai people with unilateral LLA reported primarily fair HRQOL. Having higher education, having been employed after amputation, and having good prosthetic wearing comfort were associated with the good HRQL.