A dynamics of quality of life in chronic bronchitis patients under the treatment

Abstract

The aim of the work was to study a dynamics of quality of life (QoL) in chronic bronchitis (CB) patients under the treatment. The study involved 69 chronic bronchitis patients admitted to a therapeutic hospital of the I.P.Pavlov medical university in Sankt-Petersburg. The QoL was assessed using a Russian version of the questionnaire MOS SF-36. The patients filled in the questionnaire independently at the cut points according to a stage of the disease and a phase of the treatment: before the treatment when admitted to the hospital at the exacerbation stage (the 1^st cut-point); in 21 day starting the therapy at the reducing exacerbation stage (the 2^nd cut-point); in 2 months starting the therapy at the stable condition (the 3rd cut-point).
The study showed that the QoL parameters, mostly role functioning parameters (as physical as emotional fields) decreased at the exacerbation stage. At whole the physical health parameters were lower than psychological ones. The disease deteriorated all the vital activities: physical, emotional, role, psychological and social fields compared with a control group. The 2-month standard therapy of CB significantly improved some QoL parameters excluding those of physical functioning and pain which were still lower after 2 months of the treatment compared with the controls. So, the CB exacerbation considerably deteriorated the QoL. All the parameters of the SF-36 questionnaire had statistically lower values compares with the controls. The physical functioning of the patients with the CB exacerbation was disordered more than psychological one. The 1-month standard therapy improved the total QoL and this tendency have been maintaining after 2 months of the treatment. The QoL parameters of the CB patients in 2 months starting the therapy became equal with those of healthy persons excluding the parameters of physical functioning and pain.