PGI50 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DISEASE SEVERITY AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH ULCERATIVE COLITIS IN JAPAN

Abstract

Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) experience abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea during the active phase of their disease, and their health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is often disrupted. Understanding patient's HRQOL along with disease severity is an important guide to select their treatment options for both patients and physicians. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between disease severity and HRQOL in patients with UC in Japan. We conducted a multi-center, cross-sectional study in patients with UC. Patients with a variety of disease severity were recruited during their routine visits. Patients' disease severities were evaluated by their physicians using the Partial Mayo Score (pMayo). Patients were requested to fill in the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ), EQ-5D, and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI), to assess their HRQOL and impairment in their daily work and activity. A total of 319 out-patients were enrolled from 12 health facilities. The mean age was 46 years old and 54% of patients were male. Of these, 60% of patients were in remission, 23% had a mild disease, and 18% had a moderate-to-severe disease based on the pMayo. The mean IBDQ scores were 190.5, 165.8 and 149.7 in remission, mild, and moderate-to-severe disease, respectively and these scores were statistically significant (P<0.001). The mean EQ-5D scores were also significantly lower in patients with moderate-to-severe symptoms than those in remission (mean=0.93, 0.86 and 0.79 in remission, mild and moderate-to-severe, respectively, p<0.001). A similar finding was observed with WPAI scores, where patients with moderate-to-severe disease symptoms had the largest impairment in both work and daily activity. The study demonstrated that UC disease severity is associated with patients' HRQOL. The more severe a level of disease the patients had, the greater impairment in HRQOL and work productivity patients experienced.