Abstract
(1) Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition with a significant impact on patients’ general health perception. No studies have considered consequences of IBD on cohabitants. (2) Aims: The aims of this study were to address the influence of IBD on cohabitants’ quality of life (QoL) and the factors potentially conditioning this impact. (3) Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in which IBD patients and their cohabitants were invited to participate. Validated questionnaires were used to measure QoL in patients and cohabitants. Main clinical and sociodemographic variables were collected. (4) Results: A total of 56 patients and 82 cohabitants with significant QoL impairment were included. A direct association was found between Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ32) score in patients and the Household Members Quality of Life—Inflammatory Bowel Disease (HHMQoL-IBD). IBDQ32 was related to the number of flares in the last 12 months, number of hospital admissions and Mayo Score. (5) Conclusions: HHMQoL-IBD score was related to patients IBDQ32 score and the presence of extraintestinal disease. We identified CRP, a marker of disease activity, as a factor related to cohabitants’ quality of life, pointing to a direct relationship of patients’ disease activity and their cohabitants’ quality of life.
Highlights
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is chronic autoimmune disease characterized by digestive symptoms, most frequently abdominal pain and diarrhea, with a relapsing clinical course and unclear etiology
There was a similar proportion of men and women, but women were higher in proportion among cohabitants (54.9%)
Our study shows that quality of life in cohabitants is related to quality of life in IBD patients, as well as with extraintestinal manifestations, which comprise an important burden on patients’ wellbeing, and so seems the case in their cohabitants
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is chronic autoimmune disease characterized by digestive symptoms, most frequently abdominal pain and diarrhea, with a relapsing clinical course and unclear etiology. A review by Molodecky et al [1] reported that in Europe, 322 per 100,000 people suffer CD and up to 505 per 100,000 people are affected by UC, often requiring medical treatment, surgery, and hospitalizations. There has been a rise in the cost of care of IBD patients in the recent years, with a threefold higher spend in direct costs of care in IBD patients, compared to non-IBD patients, and more than twice the out-of-the-pocket costs [2]
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