Health-related quality of life in Canadians with asthma: A case-control study using census data

Asthma is a common medical condition that impacts the lives of many Canadians; yet the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in persons with asthma relative to the general population (GP) is poorly studied. In this study, data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2013 was used to quantify and compare the HRQoL of the asthmatic population (AP) and the GP.

A representative survey sample of Canadians was taken from the CCHS to compare the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3) scores, a generic HRQoL measure, between the AP (n = 572) and the GP (n = 6518). The HUI3 multi-attribute utility (MAU) and the single-attribute utility (SAU) scores between the two sample groups were studied. The CCHS 2013 dataset was explored as the primary analysis, while the 2012 dataset was used as the confirmatory analysis to verify the consistency of the results.

Clinically important difference was found in the MAU score between the AP and GP (p < 0.001, Effect size = 0.30). MANOVA on the eight SAU scores with post-hoc test revealed that the AP had a lower mean score of vision (p < 0.001, Effect size = 0.36) and pain/disconfort (p < 0.001, Effect size = 0.29). Those findings were consistent with the CCHS 2012 dataset result.

These results provided evidence that in Canada, having asthma significantly worsens asthma patients' overall HRQoL and imposes significant impacts on the patients' vision and pain/discomfort. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the currently available asthma therapies so patients could achieve better HRQoL; particular focus should be given to the pain/discomfort and vision health domains.