Abstract
BackgroundHuman lymphatic filarial pathology is the leading cause of disability and poverty among people living with the infection. The second goal of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) is to manage the disease’s morbidity to improve patients’ quality of life. Consequently, the current study assessed the overall quality of life of lymphatic filariasis (LF) pathology patients in some selected endemic communities in rural Ghana.MethodIn the present study, the Lymphatic Filariasis Quality of Life Questionnaire (LFSQQ) was used to evaluate the effect of lymphatic filariasis on the quality of life of people, with the disease in nine (9) communities in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region of Ghana where mass drug administration is being implemented for the past twenty years. Pearson’s correlation, linear regression, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) analyses were used to assess the associations between the LFSQQ instrument domains.ResultsOf the 155 study participants recruited, 115 (74.19%) were females, and 40 (25.81%) males. A greater proportion of the study participants (40, 25.8%) were presented with stage two (2) lymphoedema, while only two patients had stage seven (7) lymphoedema. The average of the overall quality of life scores of study participants was 68.24. There was a negative Pearson correlation (r = − 0.504, p-value < 0.001) between the stage of lymphoedema (severity of the disease) and the quality of life of the LF patients. In addition, a clear pattern of positive correlation (r = 0.71, p-value < 0.001) was observed between the disease burden and pain/discomfort domains of the study participants. Whereas the highest domain-specific score (85.03) was observed in the domain of self-care, we noted that the environmental domain, which consists of the financial status, was the lowest (45.94) among the study participants.ConclusionOur findings support previous works on the reduced quality of life among lymphatic filariasis patients with pathology. In this study, our results reveal a depressing financial condition among people presenting with late stages of LF pathologies, which eventually reduces their well-being.
Highlights
Human lymphatic filarial pathology is the leading cause of disability and poverty among people living with the infection
Whereas the highest domain-specific score (85.03) was observed in the domain of self-care, we noted that the environmental domain, which consists of the financial status, was the lowest (45.94) among the study participants
Our results reveal a depressing financial condition among people presenting with late stages of lymphatic filariasis (LF) pathologies, which eventually reduces their well-being
Summary
Human lymphatic filarial pathology is the leading cause of disability and poverty among people living with the infection. The current study assessed the overall quality of life of lymphatic filariasis (LF) pathology patients in some selected endemic communities in rural Ghana. In highly endemic communities such as Kassena Nankana District (Upper East Region of Ghana), the prevalence of hydrocoele and elephantiasis of the leg has been recorded to be about 31 and 3.8%, respectively [6]. Women are ten times more likely than men to have lymphoedema of the leg [7] This trend is still consistent in other neglected tropical diseases such as trachoma where female caregivers most often contact infected children than their male counterparts and are at higher risks of infecting themselves [8]. Krishna et al 2005, identified ADL as the primary cause of disabilities among LF patients [12]
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