LIFE QUALITY OF PATIENTS WITH NEWLY DIAGNOSED PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS WHEN USING ALCOHOL

Abstract

Interest to the studies of life quality by scientists and practitioners is constantly growing, as this unique approach allows to fundamentally change the traditional view of the problem of the disease and the patient. By investigating the quality of life as an integral index of the patient's condition, it is possible to assess the complex impact of the disease on the patient's life, to compare the effectiveness of various interventions, to predict the disease course. However, the problem of assessing the quality of life in patients with tuberculosis under conditions of alcohol consumption remains poorly understood. To establish the level of quality of life in patients, 102 men with newly diagnosed tuberculosis, with preserved sensitivity to anti−tuberculosis drugs were examined. The AUDIT test was used to assess their alcohol consumption, and the MOS SF−36 questionnaire was used to analyze the quality of life parameters. The study also assessed quality of life parameters and alcohol consumption in groups with varying prevalence of tuberculosis and the presence of mycobacteria or no bacterial excretion. According to the findings, the following conclusions can be drawn: pulmonary tuberculosis leads to a decrease in quality of life with the greatest depression in the group of patients who abuse alcohol; quality of life indices are significantly lower in patients with advanced tuberculosis and bacterial excretion, while the level of alcohol consumption in these groups is significantly higher than in patients with localized forms and lack of bacterial excretion. Interestingly, when interviewing patients, none of them rated their health as "excellent", answering the first question of the SF−36 questionnaire, and 100 % of respondents to question 11 answered "definitely not" to the statement "I expect my health to deteriorate". The obtained research data on the parameters of quality of life in patients with tuberculosis can be used to achieve the highest effectiveness of therapy and targeted psychosocial rehabilitation. Key words: tuberculosis, alcohol, quality of life, bacterial excretion.