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Asthma is associated with reduced quality of life (QOL), and asthma severity, sociodemographic characteristics and psychiatric co morbidity plays a significant role in this reduction. But the nature of the interplay between these factors is unknown which this study seeks to discover.
Methods
A sample of 1161 persons, age 26-52, with self-reported asthma and without were sent the generic quality of life instrument, 15D and ECRHS based asthma screening questionnaire. Current asthma definition was used to evaluate the actual influences on quality of life. Analyses were made using STATA.
Results
Response=60%. Female= 61%. Mean age=39.7 (range 26-51). Current asthma=21%. There was a significant difference in QOL between non-asthmatics and asthmatics: mean 0.958 vs. mean 0.913 (p=0.00). The asthma-group was significantly influenced in 13 of 15 dimensions in 15D (p < 0.05) especially regarding usual activities, mental health and depressive symptoms. Age, educational level and work activity had no significant impact on QOL while being a woman had (P=0.001). Increasing asthma symptoms were associated with worse QOL. The prevalence of depressive and distress symptoms were high (35% and 47 % respectively) in asthmatics and associated with lower QOL.
Discussion
Asthma severity and psychiatric co morbidity had the most significant impact on QOL in asthmatics after adjusting for age, gender and smoking habits. Age had no impact on QOL, but the persons enrolled in the study were young. Other studies are not consistent on this matter. The influence of gender vanished after adjusting for psychiatric co morbidity probably due to co linearity. Work activity had insignificant influence on QOL but work performance was not measured which weakens our conclusion on this matter. Health care workers should be aware that the reduction of QOL in asthmatics is multifactorial and investigate asthma severity and psychosocial factors when choosing the proper treatment of asthma.