Assessment methods and research status of quality of life in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

Over the past two decades, the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has risen sharply and has become the most common chronic liver disease, placing a heavy burden on patients and their families. A comprehensive assessment of the quality of life (QoL) of NAFLD patients is necessary to develop and implement more effective intervention strategies. Currently, the disease-specific scales commonly used to assess the quality of life of NAFLD patients include the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36), Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ), and so on. The research results of home and abroad showed that the quality of life of NAFLD patients is significantly lower than that of healthy people, and with the aggravation of the disease, the quality of life of such patients decreases, and may even be lower than other patients with chronic liver disease, and the reason for this may be related to factors such as body mass index (BMI) and complications. In clinical practice, the assessment of quality of life can fully reflect the health status of NAFLD patients, thereby helping to establish the personalized treatment goals to comprehensively assess the impact of disease on patients with clinical interventions.