Chronic Disease and Health-Related Quality of Life in an Urban Elderlies

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In Korea, the proportion and absolute number of old people are increasing very rapidly. And the concern about the quality-of-life of elderly is to increase more and more among health care workers. The quality-of-life of elderly is affected by chronic medical conditions in some part. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association between eight chronic medical conditions and health-related quality of life among the community-based elderly. METHODS: Target areas were 22 dongs in Dong-gu,Kwangju and 2 dongs in Buk-gu. Six hundreds subjects were randomly sampled from target ares. Interview survey was performed for chronic medical conditions by check list and health-related quality of life by COOP chart. Actual subjects were 568 elderlies. RESULTS: The results are followed ; 1) Compared with other domains of health-related quality of life, overall health was the most associated with chronic medical conditions, and social activity the least associated. 2) Stroke were significantly associated with every domain. And also back problems/joint problems were except the domain of social activity. Compared with other disease, stroke was the most associated with health-related quality of life except the domain of pain. 3) Migraine/chronic headache, gastroduodenal problems, and heart conditions were significantly associated with overall health, bodily pain, and one or two domains. 4) Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were signi ficantly associated with only one domain; overall health 5) Asthma and chronic bronchitis was not associated with any domains. CONCLUSION: Generally, health-related quality of life was highly associated with mobility limiting diseases such as back problems/joint problems stroke. And also moderately associated with pain relation disease such ans migraine/chronic headache, gastroduodenal problems, and heart condition.