Article Title

Correlation between health-related quality of life usingSt. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire and pulmonaryfunction testing in Thai patients with chronicobstructive pulmonary disease

Authors

K Kawkitinarong
T Yingchutrakul
C Sittipunt
S. Wongtim

Abstract

Background : Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized byprogressive worsening of airway obstruction. The patients usuallypresent with cough, breathlessness on and limited activities, whichadversely affects their quality of life. Severity of COPD is traditionallyclassified by using spirometry. However, the relationship between qualityof life and lung function parameters is unclear.Objective : To study the effects of COPD on the health-related quality of life of patientsin the Outpatient Clinic, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH)using Thai version of the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ)and to evaluate correlation of FEV1% predicted value and the SGRQscore.Methods : A cross-sectional analytic study was conducted in COPD patients whovisited at the Outpatient Clinic, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital from1 August 2008 to 30 April 2009. All cases were diagnosed and staged byclinical features and spirometric results as previously described. Correlationof the SGRQ score and FEV1% predicted was evaluated by Pearson’sCorrelation.Results : Forty COPD patients were enrolled into the study. Sixty percent of thepatients were more than 70 years old. SGRQ score in COPD patients waslower than normal, ranged from 1.59 to 85.9 (mean 42.94, SD 24.1).There were weak correlation between the quality of life evaluated bySGRQ scores and FEV1 value (r = -0.368 for total scores, r = -0.326 forsymptom scores, r = -0.381 for activity scores and r = -0.305 for impactscores. Note that the higher SGRQ score reflects the worse quality of life).Statistical significance had been shown in all subdomains except impactscores (P = 0.019, 0.04, 0.015 and 0.056 for total scores, symptom scores,activity scores, and impact scores, respectively).Conclusion : Health-related quality of life measured by the SGRQ has weak correlationwith pulmonary function tests in Thai COPD patients.

Publisher

Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University

First Page

421

Last Page

432

Recommended Citation

Kawkitinarong, K; Yingchutrakul, T; Sittipunt, C; and Wongtim, S. (2012) "Correlation between health-related quality of life usingSt. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire and pulmonaryfunction testing in Thai patients with chronicobstructive pulmonary disease," Chulalongkorn Medical Journal: Vol. 56: Iss. 4, Article 4.
Available at: https://digital.car.chula.ac.th/clmjournal/vol56/iss4/4