Review article

The Importance of Assessing the Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Sanda Škrinjarić Cincar

Abstract

Both clinical studies and daily clinical practice have shown that patients suffering from COPD have a significantly lower quality of life. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the prognosis for COPD patients is directly linked to their quality of life, which is significantly affected by exacerbations and related diseases. In that regard the most obvious symptom is dyspnoea, and usually patients with severe form of the disease suffer from it. However, reduced quality of life is present in all groups of patients categorised using the GOLD guidelines, including those with mild air passages obstruction. It is therefore necessary to assess not only the pulmonary function, but other symptoms as well. The GOLD guidelines from 2011 onward suggest including symptoms in the combination of the assessed severity and risk of the disease. Improving health and life quality in general has become one of the goals of treatment. The quality of life is evaluated using questionnaires to assess the impact of the disease on patient’s general condition. Questionnaires are divided into generic and disease-specific ones. For COPB generic SF-36 questionnaires (The Short-Form 36-item health survey questionnaire) are usually used, as well as the disease-specific one SGRQ (St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire). In addition, COPD clinical trials use a number of other questionnaires which cannot be applied in daily clinical practice. For this purpose a simpler CAT questionnaire (COPD Assessment Test) has been created, enabling a fast evaluation and monitoring, and it correlates well with a more complex SGRQ.

Keywords

quality of life; COPD; questionnaires for assessing COPD; CAT questionnaire

Hrčak ID:

161780

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/161780

Publication date:

13.7.2016.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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