[Application of measuring instruments--quality of life questionnaires in patients with chronic sarcoidosis].
BACKGROUND
Health-related quality of life in interstitial lung diseases, especially in sarcoidosis, has hardly received appropriate attention in clinical studies due to lack of validated methods of measurement. Until now, in patients with sarcoidosis and interstitial lung diseases, several generic and respiratory specific quality-of-life instruments were used in order to discover the most valid and reliable quality-of-life instrument. Sarcoidosis is a multi-system disease that affects quality of life in many different ways.


METHODS
In this study the Sarcoidosis Health Questionnaire was used to evaluate the quality of life in sarcoidosis patients. 89 biopsy positive sarcoidosis patients were analyzed (16 male, 73 female); their mean age 46.15 +/- 11.11 years. 34 (39%) patients presented with acute sarcoidosis, 53 (61%) with chronic sarcoidosis and 46 patients (51.7%) had extrapulmonary disease. In regard to treatment, 51 (57%) patients were treated with corticosteroids 18 (20%) with methotrexate and in 20 (23%) spontaneous remission was reported. All analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Science Software: A probability value less than 0.01 considered being statistically significant.


RESULTS
Statistically significant correlation was found between the sarcoidosis health questionnaire scores and chronic sarcoidosis. daily 0.001, emotional 0.014 and total 0.01. In regard to treatment, significant difference between groups was found in the domain of physical (sig 0.006) emotional (sign 0.005) and total (sign 0.001) scores.


CONCLUSIONS
The first sarcoidosis specific questionnaire shows perfect correlation with the possible clinical course in patients with sarcoidosis.
Mihailović-Vucinić
Violeta
V
Klinicki centar, Beograd, Institut za plućne bolesti i tuberkulozu.
Gvozdenović
Branislav
B
Zugić
Vladimir
V
Videnović-Ivanov
Jelica
J
Filipović
Snezana
S
Gostiljac
Drasko
D
D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D017565:Sarcoidosis, Pulmonary; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires