Influence of chronic sputum symptoms on quality of life in patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

The effect of chronic sputum (CS) symptoms on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) has not been studied. The aim of this study was to clarify the differences in the clinical characteristics of NTM-PD patients with and without CS and to investigate the effect of CS on HRQOL. This cross-sectional study included patients with NTM-PD who were prescribed pulmonary rehabilitation at the Fukujuji Hospital from March 2016 to June 2019. HRQOL was evaluated using the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Of the 99 subjects studied, 71 had CS (CS+) (71.7%), and 28 (28.3%) did not have CS (CS-). Patients in the CS+group had a lower body mass index, forced vital capacity percent predicted, and forced expiratory volume in 1s percent predicted. Regarding the radiological evaluation, the proportion of patients with the fibrocavitary form and the radiological score were significantly higher in the CS+group. The mental component summary (MCS) score of the SF-36 were significantly lower in the CS+group. Multiple regression analysis showed that the presence of CS was independently associated with a lower MCS score of the SF-36. NTM-PD patients with CS had more severe disease, with reduced pulmonary function and severe radiological findings. CS was shown to independently affect HRQOL, especially mental status.