Assessment of health-related quality of life among patients with tuberculosis in Hamadan, western Iran

ABSTRACT

Tuberculosis is one of the oldest infections known to affect humans. The aim of the study was to assess the quality of life including physiological, general health perception and social role functioning among patients with tuberculosis in Hamadan, Western Iran. A cross sectional analytical study was conducted between December 2009 and March 2011, the quality of life scores of 64 tuberculosis cases were measured by SF-36 questionnaire before treatment, after the initial phase and at the end of treatment and were compared with those of 120 controls. The association of the quality of life with age, type of tuberculosis, sputum smear, duration of disease, and the stage of treatment were assessed among the patients. Before treatment, all scores of tuberculosis patients were lower than those of the controls [p<0.05]. The patients' score increased signififificantly after two months of treatment [p=0.01], but the difference was not significant between two and six months after treatment [p=0.07]. The lowest score in tuberculosis patients was related to physical functioning and energy [45 +/- 42, 44 +/- 24, respectively]. According to the results, tuberculosis patients still have a low quality of life in spite of receiving new care strategies. Therefore, enhancement in quality of life may improve adherence to anti-tuberculosis treatment, functioning and well-being of patients with tuberculosis.