Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

People with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can have both physical and mental problems that tend to lower their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). While T2DM is a serious issue for health worldwide, not much is known about its influence on the quality of life (QoL) for patients in Pakistan. The main goal of this study is to measure the QoL in patients with T2DM in Pakistan and to see how a range of factors can impact their HRQoL.

The research involved completing a cross-sectional study of 385 patients with T2DM from outpatient and diabetes care centers in Pakistan. Information was gathered using both the Diabetes Quality of Life Questionnaire (QoL-Q Diabetes) and the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). Both tests, i.e., Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk, were applied to check if the data followed the usual pattern. It also used descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, chi-square tests, and linear regression methods. We used IBM SPSS Statistics version 26, along with a p-value lower than 0.05, when carrying out statistical analysis. The interview process took place from November 2024 to April 2025.

The analysis pointed out that scores for HRQoL varied significantly depending on the period of the disease, the care offered, and whether there were complications. On the Pearson correlation, a small and noticeable relationship (r = 0.074, p < 0.001) was found between the QoL-Q Diabetes and SF-36 scores. Those who lived with diabetes and treated it with insulin for a long time had scores that were somewhat lower for HRQoL. Although several differences between groups were statistically significant, their effect sizes were small, suggesting limited clinical relevance. The gaps that were noted in the study were mostly small in real-life situations. People who suffer from additional health problems, such as nephropathy and neuropathy, live with a noticeably lower HRQoL.

In conclusion, our research shows that T2DM has a moderate influence on patients' HRQoL in Pakistan. The most important factors influencing this are the type of treatment, the duration of T2DM, and any complications that develop. Although some group differences were statistically significant, the effect sizes were small, indicating minimal clinical impact. Therefore, individualized and comprehensive care remains essential to improve patients' overall QoL meaningfully.