TITLE:
Assessment of the Quality of Life of Patients with Mycobacterial Pulmonary Diseases
AUTHORS:
Khadidia Ouattara, Bocar Baya, Dianguina Soumaré, Tenin Kanouté, Mohamed Tolofodie, Kafui Komla Gaglo Koudemon, Salif Koné, Bassirou Diarra, Yaya Sadio Sarro, Yacouba Toloba, Mamoudou Maiga
KEYWORDS:
Quality of Life, Mycobacteria, Lung
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Respiratory Diseases,
Vol.12 No.2,
May
19,
2022
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Mycobacteria pulmonary diseases are chronic illnesses with various
impacts on patients’ health status, and wellbeing. These diseases currently
represent a global health issue due to increasing burdens and the lack of new
development on therapeutic options. Policies based on the quality of life may
help to improve the management of this chronic respiratory disease; this study
was designed to assess the quality of life of patients treated for the
pulmonary mycobacterial disease. Materials and Methods: Participants
diagnosed with a mycobacterial pulmonary
disease were selected from the University Clinical Research Centers’
(UCRC) 2019 mycobacterial cohort database. A telephone interview was conducted
using the Medical Outcome Study Short Form (SF-36) which has 36 items
evaluating physical and mental wellbeing.
Scores range from 0 - 100, with higher scores indicating greater Health-related
quality of life (HRQOL). Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 23.0 and
the Fisher test was used to compare percentages. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A
total of 26 participants were reached and interviewed by phone. The mean
age was 42 ± 10.6 years, and 76.9%
(20/26) were male. The most common cause of the mycobacterial pulmonary disease
was Mycobacterium tuberculosis,
with 84.6% (22/26). Four cases of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) were diagnosed
including one Mycobacterium avium complex strain (MAC). HIV-positive
cases were 46.2% (12/26), and the main
respiratory sign was cough for all the participants (100%), followed by
dyspnea 46.2% (12/26), chest pain 38.5% (10/26). The mean BMI was 19.7 ± 6.9 kg/m2, the mean respiratory rate
was 24.7 ± 8.6, and the mean hemoglobin
was 11.8 ± 2.2 g/dl. The mean SF-36
score was 75.1 ± 16.6, and impairment was
mainly related to mental problems in 59.6%. The mean total score was
significantly lower with age more than 42 years than age less than 42 years.
But HIV positive and BMI less than 18.5 do not lead to a significant change of mean total score. Conclusion: Patients
with mycobacterial pulmonary diseases have more psychological problems
than physical ones. Hence the importance of
psychological support in their management to improve their quality of life. A large sample size with a
deep interview component would be necessary to address limitations in
this design.