Exploring factors influencing the health-related quality of life of tuberculosis patients: a WHOQOL-BREF-based study

Abstract

As a chronic illness, tuberculosis is known to negatively affect patients' day-to-day functioning. Therefore, evaluating all aspects of their health is imperative to improve their quality of life. The current study was conducted to assess the quality of life of patients receiving tuberculosis therapy and to identify the associated risk factors. A prospective, cross-sectional study of six months was planned and conducted in 66 Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected patients who justified the pre-defined inclusion criteria. All pertinent data about the patients were collected in a precisely created data collection form. Further, the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire was used to evaluate the patients’ quality of life. Of the 66 patients who were enrolled, 42 (63.6%) were male, and 14 (21.2%) belonged to the age group of 61-70 years. The domains of physical, psychological, social relationships, and environment had mean scores of 46.76±20.15 standard deviation (SD), 55.02±16.12 SD, 54.83±13.91 SD, and 64.92±14.59 SD, respectively. All four quality-of-life domains were found to have statistically significant associations with a variety of sociodemographic and treatment-related variables. This study gives healthcare practitioners an insight into the need to evaluate patients' health-related quality of life, particularly for individuals with chronic illnesses.