Health-related quality of life in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an individual's perception of physical and mental health. The objective of this study was to examine the relationships between symptoms and HRQOL in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), using a modification of a HRQOL model in COPD. A correlational descriptive design was used to examine the relationships between symptoms and HRQOL in individuals with COPD. A convenience sample of 58 subjects with a medical diagnosis of COPD, specifically chronic bronchitis or emphysema, was evaluated. The Vertical Visual Analogue Scale, Baseline Dyspnea Index, Bronchitis-Emphysema Symptom Checklist, Positive and Negative Affect Scales, Pulmonary Functional Status and Dyspnea Questionnaire, and Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36 Health Survey were used. Variables that affected the physical health component of HRQOL included breathlessness, physical impairment, and reduced activities of daily living (adjusted R(2) = .52, P < .001), and variables that affected the mental health component of HRQOL were breathlessness, hopelessness and anxiety, and negative affective trait (adjusted R(2) = .58, P < .001). Breathlessness, physical impairment, reduced activities of daily living, hopelessness and anxiety, and negative affective trait seem to contribute to physical and mental components of HRQOL in individuals with COPD.