Health status in COPD cannot be measured by the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire alone: an evaluation of the underlying concepts of this questionnaire

Contains fulltext : 88421.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Improving patients' health status is one of the major goals in COPD treatment. Questionnaires could facilitate the guidance of patient-tailored disease management by exploring which aspects of health status are problematic, and which aspects are not. Health status consists of four main domains (physiological functioning, symptoms, functional impairment, and quality of life), and at least sixteen sub-domains. A prerequisite for patient-tailored treatment is a detailed assessment of all these sub-domains. Most questionnaires developed to measure health status consist of one or a few subscales and measure merely some aspects of health status. The question then rises which aspects of health status are measured by these instruments, and which aspects are not covered. As it is one of the most frequently used questionnaires in COPD, we evaluated which aspects of health status are measured and which aspects are not measured by the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). METHODS: One hundred and forty-six outpatients with COPD participated. Correlations were calculated between the three sections of the SGRQ and ten sub-domains of the Nijmegen Integral Assessment Framework, covering Symptoms, Functional Impairment, and Quality of Life. As the SGRQ was not expected to measure physiological functioning, we did not include this main domain in the statistical analyses. Pearson's r > or = 0.70 was used as criterion for conceptual similarity. RESULTS: The SGRQ sections Symptoms and Total showed conceptual similarity with the sub-domain Subjective Symptoms (main domain Symptoms). The sections Activity, Impacts and Total were conceptual similar to Subjective Impairment (main domain Functional Impairment). The SGRQ sections were not conceptual similar to other sub-domains of Symptoms, Functional Impairment, nor to any sub-domain of Quality of Life. CONCLUSIONS: The SGRQ could facilitate the guidance of disease management in COPD only partially. The SGRQ is appropriately only for measuring problems in the sub-domains Subjective Symptoms and Subjective Impairment, and not for measuring problems in other sub-domains of health status, such as Quality of Life

Controle da asma e qualidade de vida em pacientes com asma moderada ou grave Asthma control and quality of life in patients with moderate or severe asthma

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a associação entre o estado de controle da asma e a qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde em pacientes com asma moderada ou grave. MÉTODOS: Estudo descritivo observacional com 59 pacientes portadores de asma moderada ou grave, acompanhados no Ambulatório de Asma do Hospital Universitário Walter Cantídio da Universidade Federal do Ceará, em Fortaleza (CE). Os pacientes foram avaliados quanto a dados sociodemográficos, clínicos e espirométricos. O estado de controle da asma foi avaliado através do asthma control test (ACT) e a qualidade de vida através do Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). RESULTADOS: A média de idade dos pacientes foi de 55,0 ± 12,4 anos, e 76,3% eram do sexo feminino. Foram observadas correlações negativas significantes entre os escores do ACT e todos os escores do SGRQ: total (r = -0,72); sintomas (r = -0,78); atividade (r = -0,67); e impactos (r = -0,68). A análise de regressão múltipla mostrou que o escore do SGRQ total teve como variáveis preditivas mais robustas o escore do ACT (coeficiente = -3,18; IC95%: -4,14 a -2,23) e tempo de doença (coeficiente = -0,29; IC95%: -0,54 a -0,03). O escore do ACT também explicou linearmente a variação do SGRQ em seus domínios: sintomas (coeficiente = -3,41 e IC95%: -4,45 a -2,37); atividade (coeficiente = -3,07 e IC95%: -4,57 a -1,57); e impactos (coeficiente = -2,68 e IC95%: -3,71 a -1,65). CONCLUSÕES: Na amostra estudada, o estado de controle da asma parece ser fortemente associado à melhor qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde.<br>OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between degree of asthma control and health-related quality of life in patients with moderate or severe asthma. METHODS: This was a descriptive observational study involving 59 outpatients with moderate or severe asthma under treatment at the Asthma Outpatient Clinic of the Federal University of Ceará Walter Cantídio University Hospital, in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil. The patients were evaluated regarding sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, as well as spirometric parameters. The asthma control status was assessed using the asthma control test (ACT), and quality of life was assessed using the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 55.0 ± 12.4 years, and 76.3% were female. The ACT score showed statistically significant negative correlations with all SGRQ scores: total (r = -0.72); symptoms (r = -0.78); activity (r = -0.67); and impact (r = -0.68). Multiple regression analysis showed that the most robust predictive variables for SGRQ total score were ACT score (coefficient = -3.18; 95% CI: -4.14 to -2.23) and duration of disease (coefficient = -0.29; 95% CI: -0.54 to -0.03). The ACT score also explained the linear variation of the SGRQ domains: symptoms (coefficient = -3.41; 95% CI: -4.45 to -2.37); activity (coefficient = -3.07; 95% CI: -4.57 to -1.57); and impact (coefficient = -2.68; 95% CI: -3.71 to -1.65). CONCLUSIONS: The degree of asthma control appears to have a significant impact on health-related quality of life