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Assessing quality of life of self-reported rheumatic patients

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Abstract

The aims of this study were to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with self-reported rheumatic diseases (RD), to classify self-reported rheumatic patients in groups according to their health state and to explore the associations between health status and sociodemographic variables. Data came from the Portuguese Epidemiologic study of the RD. A sample of the Portuguese population aged 18 or more (n = 10,661) stratified by region and locality dimension was interviewed by trained interviewers and answered a standardized questionnaire that included the SF-36v1, the EQ-5D-3L, medical history, identification of potential rheumatic diseases, sociodemographic characteristics, among others. Descriptive statistics and parametric tests were used to compare HRQoL of respondents with and without RD. Comparisons with normative data from the Portuguese population were also carried out. A cluster analysis was used to classify respondents into homogeneous groups. Regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with HRQoL. Respondents with self-reported RD assigned a lower self-perception to their health status. The burden of disease was observed mainly in physical function, role physical and bodily pain. The EQ-5D-3L dimensions show similar results: the intensity of problems is significantly more evident in respondents with self-reported RD. HRQoL of respondents with self-reported RD is related to sociodemographic variables and is significantly lower when compared with the Portuguese population. Four clusters of homogeneous respondents with self-reported RD were formed and characterized according to a number of variables. Factors associated with HRQoL were identified. In conclusion, suffering from a self-reported RD has a significant impact on self-perceived health status and on the quality of life.

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Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Source: Ferreira and Santana (2003)

Fig. 3

Source: Ferreira et al. [15]

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Acknowledgements

This paper was financed by National Funds provided by FCT- Foundation for Science and Technology [grant numbers UID/Multi/04066/2013 and UID/SOC/04020/2013].

Funding

The data used here came from the EpiReumaPt study, which was endorsed by the Alto Patrocínio da Presidência da República and was supported by a Grant from Directorate-General of Health. The EpireumaPt study was also sponsored by: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Fundação Champalimaud, Fundação AstraZeneca, Abbvie, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Pfizer, Roche, Servier, Bial, D3A Medical Systems, Happybrands, Centro de Medicina Laboratorial Germano de Sousa, Clínica Médica da Praia da Vitória, CAL-Clínica, Galp Energia, Açoreana Seguros and individual support of rheumatologists.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Pedro L. Ferreira

  2. EpiReumaPt Investigation Team, Sociedade Portuguesa de Reumatologia, Lisbon, Portugal

    Sónia P. Gonçalves, Nélia Gouveia, Ana Rodrigues, Helena Canhão & Jaime Branco

  3. Instituto Piaget, Lisbon, Portugal

    Sónia P. Gonçalves

  4. Instituto de Saúde Ambiental, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Sónia P. Gonçalves

  5. Escola Superior de Gestão, Hotelaria e Turismo, Universidade do Algarve, Campus da Penha, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal

    Lara N. Ferreira & Luis N. Pereira

  6. Centre for Health Studies and Research-CEISUC, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Pedro L. Ferreira, Lara N. Ferreira, Luis N. Pereira & Patrícia Antunes

  7. Centro de Investigação sobre o Espaço e as Organizações (CIEO), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal

    Luis N. Pereira

  8. Centro de Estudos de Doenças Crónicas (CEDOC) da NOVA Medical School, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (NMS/UNL), Lisbon, Portugal

    Nélia Gouveia & Jaime Branco

  9. EpiDoc Unit, Unidade de Epidemiologia em Doenças Crónicas (CEDOC, NMS/UNL), Lisbon, Portugal

    Nélia Gouveia, Ana Rodrigues, Helena Canhão & Jaime Branco

  10. Unidade de Investigação em Reumatologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Ana Rodrigues & Helena Canhão

  11. Serviço de Reumatologia do Hospital de Santa Maria, Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte (CHLN-E.P.E), Lisbon, Portugal

    Helena Canhão

  12. Serviço de Reumatologia do Hospital Egas Moniz, Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Ocidental (CHLO-E.P.E.), Lisbon, Portugal

    Jaime Branco

Authors
  1. Pedro L. Ferreira
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  2. Sónia P. Gonçalves
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  3. Lara N. Ferreira
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  6. Nélia Gouveia
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  9. Jaime Branco
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lara N. Ferreira.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Ferreira, P.L., Gonçalves, S.P., Ferreira, L.N. et al. Assessing quality of life of self-reported rheumatic patients. Rheumatol Int 36, 1265–1274 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-016-3517-0

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