Assessing health-related quality of life in COPD: A comparison between one generic and two disease-specific instruments

Abstract

Background: COPD may influence different aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQL). Disease-specific HRQL instruments focus on symptoms and functional impairments while generic HRQL instruments cover a broader view on health. Aims: To compare HRQL assessment by the generic EQ-5D and two disease-specific HRQL questionnaires (Saint George9s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), COPD Assessment Test (CAT)) and to describe generic and COPD-specific HRQL in different COPD severity grades. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional analysis of the baseline data from the German COPD cohort COSYCONET. Correlations between EQ-5D utility index, SGRQ total score, CAT score and GOLD grade or BODE index as clinical measures of COPD severity were examined by Spearman correlation coefficients. Mean HRQL scores were compared by linear regression models adjusting for age, sex, education. Results: 2,288 subjects in COPD grade 1-4 (mean age 65 yrs, 61% males, 56% basic education, mean BODE 2.3) were included for analyses. Correlation between EQ-5D utility and SGRQ score (-0.56, p Conclusions: Generic and disease-specific HRQL instruments yield complementary information when aiming at a comprehensive picture of HRQL impairments in COPD.