HRQOL using SF36 (generic specific) in liver cirrhosis

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Quality of Life Research
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is crucial for patients with chronic conditions.
• Liver cirrhosis and its complications significantly impact a patient's overall well-being.
• Understanding factors affecting HRQOL in cirrhosis is vital for comprehensive patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors influencing health-related quality of life (HRQOL) domains in liver cirrhosis patients.
• To assess the impact of age, comorbidities, disease severity, and complications on HRQOL using the SF-36 questionnaire.
• To compare HRQOL scores in liver cirrhosis patients with age-gender matched healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 149 liver cirrhosis patients and healthy controls.
• Utilized the SF-36 questionnaire to assess physical and mental components of HRQOL.
• Statistical analyses including Kruskal-Wallis (KW) test and linear regression were employed to evaluate influencing factors.

Main Results:

• Cirrhosis patients exhibited significantly lower SF-36 domain scores compared to controls, except for body pain.
• Younger patients (<45 years), advanced disease (Child-Turcotte-Pugh C), high MELD scores, and complications were associated with lower body pain scores.
• Physical component scores (PCS) significantly impacted mental component scores (MCS).
• Musculoskeletal pain and arthralgia negatively affected physical domains and PCS, while diabetes, hypertension, and hypothyroidism had no significant effect.

Conclusions:

• Liver cirrhosis substantially diminishes HRQOL, particularly physical functioning and mental well-being.
• Disease severity (MELD score) and specific complications directly correlate with reduced HRQOL.
• Targeting physical symptoms and complications is essential for improving the quality of life in liver cirrhosis patients.