Gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualität bei Asthmapatienten in der Hausarztpraxis

Abstract

Objective: This study investigates health-related quality of life in asthma patients from general practices in comparison with a general population sample. It further examines the association between health-related quality of life, socio-demographic characteristics and smoking behaviour. Patients and methods: 838 asthma patients with a mean age of 47.8 +/- 16.3 years and 66% female participants from 83 general practices in the region of Gottingen and Freiburg/Germany completed the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), an instrument to assess health-related quality of life, and they completed questions on socio-demographic variables and smoking behaviour. SGRQ values were compared with estimates for the general population generated in Spain. The association between SGRQ and socio-demographic characteristics and smoking behaviour was analysed by multivariate linear regression models. Results: The SGRQ total values for asthma patients were three times higher than in the general population sample corresponding to a higher level of restrictions in quality of life. Both in the general population sample and in asthma patients non-smokers had a better health-related quality of life than smokers, especially with respect to respiratory symptoms. In the multivariate analysis, socio-demographic characteristics and smoking behaviour were differently related to health-related quality of life. In smokers, the level of impairment by asthma symptoms was the higher the more they had smoked. Impairment in daily activities increased with increasing age and decreasing professional status. Increasing psycho-social restrictions were associated with higher age and lower educational level. Conclusion: Assessing health-related quality of life in its different dimensions enables the general practitioner to conclude on the individual impairment caused by the disease. This facilitates targeted therapeutic interventions. Results from this study underline once more that quality of life should be integrated as an additional clinical parameter in population-based analyses of health care use.