Intest Res.  2019 Jan;17(1):107-118. 10.5217/ir.2018.00099.

Health-related quality of life of patients with inflammatory bowel disease in Singapore

• Min Ho PY
• Hu W
• Lee YY
• Gao C
• Tan YZ
• Cheen HH
• Wee HL
• Lim TG
• Ong WC

• KMID: 2438449
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5217/ir.2018.00099

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with considerable impairment of patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Knowledge of factors that significantly affect IBD patients' HRQoL can contribute to better patient care. However, the HRQoL of IBD patients in non-Western countries are limited. Hence, we assessed the HRQoL of Singaporean IBD patients and identified its determinants.
METHODS
A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted at Singapore General Hospital outpatient IBD Centre. The HRQoL of IBD patients was assessed using the short IBD questionnaire (SIBDQ), Short Form-36 physical and mental component summary (SF-36 PCS/MCS) and EuroQol 5-dimensions 3-levels (EQ-5D-3L) and visual analogue scale (VAS). Independent samples t-test was used to compare HRQoL between Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Determinants of HRQoL were identified through multiple linear regression.
RESULTS
A total of 195 IBD patients (103 UC, 92 CD) with a mean disease duration of 11.2 years were included. There was no significant difference in HRQoL between patients with UC and CD. Factors that significantly worsened HRQoL were presence of active disease (b=−6.293 [SIBDQ], −9.409 [PCS], −9.743 [MCS], −7.254 [VAS]), corticosteroids use (b=−7.392 [SIBDQ], −10.390 [PCS], −8.827 [MCS]), poor medication adherence (b=−4.049 [SIBDQ], −1.320 [MCS], −8.961 [VAS]), presence of extraintestinal manifestations (b=−13.381 [PCS]), comorbidities (b=−4.531 [PCS]), non-employment (b=−9.738 [MCS], −0.104 [EQ-5D-3L]) and public housing (b=−8.070 [PCS], −9.207 [VAS]).
CONCLUSIONS
The HRQoL is impaired in this Asian cohort of IBD. The magnitude of HRQoL impairment was similar in UC and CD. Clinical characteristics were better determinants of patients' HRQoL than socio-demographic factors. Recognizing the factors that impact patients' HRQoL would improve the holistic management of IBD patients.

Keyword

Inflammatory bowel disease; Ulcerative colitis; Crohn's disease; Singapore; Health-related quality of life

MeSH Terms

Adrenal Cortex Hormones
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Cohort Studies
Colitis, Ulcerative
Comorbidity
Cross-Sectional Studies
Hospitals, General
Humans
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases*
Linear Models
Medication Adherence
Outpatients
Patient Care
Prospective Studies
Public Housing
Quality of Life*
Singapore*
Adrenal Cortex Hormones

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Study flowchart.

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