Health-related quality of life using the SF-36 in patients with bipolar disorder compared with patients with chronic back pain and the general population.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the health-related quality of life of patients with bipolar disorder and chronic back pain and, in turn, to compare these results with those previously generated for the general population.


METHODS
Subjects were patients with bipolar disorder (n=44), a comparison group of chronic back pain patients (n=30), and a population-based control sample (n=2,474). Health-related quality of life was assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), a self-administered questionnaire in which lower scores are indicative of greater impairment.


RESULTS
Patients with bipolar disorder had lower mean scores than the general population on all scales except Physical Functioning. Bipolar patients had significantly higher scores than chronic back pain patients in the categories of Physical Functioning, Role Limitations--Physical, Bodily Pain, and Social Function. There were no significant differences between bipolar disorder and chronic back pain groups in the Mental Health and Role Limitations - Emotional categories.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of the study are limited by the relatively small sample sizes of the bipolar and back pain patient groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with bipolar disorder had substantial impairment in health-related quality of life in comparison with the general population. Bipolar patients were less compromised in areas of physical and social functioning than chronic back pain patients but had similar impairment in mental health.
Arnold
L M
LM
Biological Psychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, 231 Bethesda Avenue, ML 559, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0559, USA.
Witzeman
K A
KA
Swank
M L
ML
McElroy
S L
SL
Keck
P E
PE
D000328:Adult; D001416:Back Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires