Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology

Volume 119, Issue 3, September 2000, Pages 654-660
Gastroenterology

Alimentary Tract
The impact of irritable bowel syndrome on health-related quality of life,☆☆

https://doi.org/10.1053/gast.2000.16484Get rights and content

Abstract

Background & Aims: Few data are available to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We evaluated and compared the impact of IBS on HRQOL using previously reported HRQOL data for the U.S. general population and for people with selected chronic diseases. Methods: Using the SF-36 Health Survey, we compared the HRQOL of IBS patients (n = 877) with previously reported SF-36 data for the general U.S. population and for patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), diabetes mellitus, depression, and dialysis-dependent end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Results: On all 8 SF-36 scales, IBS patients had significantly worse HRQOL than the U.S. general population (P < 0.001). Compared with GERD patients, IBS patients scored significantly lower on all SF-36 scales (P < 0.001) except physical functioning. Similarly, IBS patients had significantly worse HRQOL on selected SF-36 scales than patients with diabetes mellitus and ESRD. IBS patients had significantly better mental health SF-36 scale scores than patients with depression (P < 0.001). Conclusions: IBS patients experience significant impairment in HRQOL. Decrements in HRQOL are most pronounced in energy/fatigue, role limitations caused by physical health problems, bodily pain, and general health perceptions. These data offer further insight into the impact of IBS on patient functional status and well-being.

GASTROENTEROLOGY 2000;119:654-660

Section snippets

Subjects

Subjects invited to participate in this study were ambulatory adults, aged 18 years or older, seen at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Functional Bowel Disease Clinic. Approximately one third were self-referred; the rest were referred by primary care providers or community gastroenterologists. Individuals who were unable to read and understand English or refused to provide written informed consent were excluded from the study. From September 1994 to June 1998, the SF-36 Health

Sample characteristics

The mean age of the 877 IBS patients was 45.6 years (SD, 13.4; range, 19–84 years) with 67.1% of the sample being women. Further information detailing the sample's race, marital status, education level, and annual income is provided in Table 2.

. IBS sample characteristics

Female sex, n (%)588 (67.1)
Age (yr), mean (SD)45.6 (13.4)
Race, n (%)
White 707 (81.0)
 Black66 (7.6)
 Hispanic56 (6.4)
 Asian/Pacific Islander25 (2.9)
 Native American2 (0.2)
 Other17 (2.0)
Marital status, n (%)
 Never married258 (30.0)
 Married

Discussion

There is increasing recognition that what matters to most patients with chronic illness is how well they are able to function and how they feel about their day-to-day lives. Therefore, it is essential to understand the impact of a chronic illness such as IBS on patient functioning and well-being. Using a generic HRQOL measure such as the SF-36 Health Survey provides a basis for comparing a sample of patients with other groups of patients with other chronic disease states or with general

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    Address requests for reprints to: Ian M. Gralnek, M.D., M.S.H.S., VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, 11301 Wilshire Boulevard, CURE Building 115, Room 318, Los Angeles, California 90073. e-mail: [email protected]; fax: (310) 794-2908.

    ☆☆

    Supported in part by Astra-Zeneca Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Gralnek is supported by a Veterans Administration Health Services Research and Development Research Career Development Award.

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