Health-related Quality of Life among Diabetics visiting RajaRajeswari Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru

Abstract

ABSTRACTIntroductionDiabetes mellitus is independently associated with lower levels of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Quality of life (QoL) is an important aspect in diabetes because poor QoL leads to diminished self-care, which in turn leads to worsened glycemic control, increased risks for complications, and exacerbation of diabetes overwhelming in both the short run and the long run.ObjectiveTo assess the HRQoL among diabetics aged 18 years and above visiting the Medicine Outpatient Department at RajaRajeswari Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru.Materials and methodsWe conducted a hospital-based study using a generic instrument, Audit of Diabetes Dependent Quality of Life 18 (ADDQoL 18) to measure the QoL of diabetic subjects aged ≥18 years. One hundred and forty diabetics, including 68 males and 72 females, were selected from the Medicine Outpatient Department at RajaRajeswari Medical College and Hospital. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows, version 22.ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 55.7 ±12.5 years. Majority of them (75.7%) were Hindu by religion and most of the study participants (60%) had received formal education. Majority (48.6%) belonged to grade 3 socioeconomic status. Diabetic patients who were employed constituted 52.9%. On the type of diabetes, 91.4% of the participants had type 2 diabetes, while 8.6% had type 1 diabetes. The mean duration of diabetes since diagnosis was 8.2 ±6.5 years.With regard to presence or absence of complications, 38.6% of the participants suffered from complications of diabetes, while 61.4% did not. With regard to treatment, 59.3% of them were consuming only oral hypoglycemic, whereas 40.7% were on insulin. It was observed that diabetes had a negative impact on the present QoL with a mean negative impact of –0.45 and a mean negative average weighted impact of –5.16 on the individual life domains. The negative impact of diabetes on the QoL was greater among those receiving insulin ±oral hypoglycemic agents and among those who had complications. The domains “freedom to eat,” “freedom to drink,” “enjoyment of food,” and “working life” had the greatest negative impact in all patient subgroups. It was observed that male diabetics had a poorer QoL as compared with female diabetics, but this was found to be not statistically significant.ConclusionDiabetes had an adverse effect on the QoL of these study subjects.How to cite this articleKomal SS, Srividya V. Health-related Quality of Life among Diabetics visiting RajaRajeswari Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru. J Med Sci 2016;2(2):31-35.