title: Evaluation on quality of life and analysis on its correlation with TCM syndromes in patients of chronic hepatitis B.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and analyze its correlation with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types.
  
  
  METHODS
  With cross-sectional investigation adopted, the QOL of 335 CHB patients was studied by the World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) and the chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ). The results was compared with that of 30 healthy persons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The QOL of the patients with chronic hepatitis B was lower than the healthy persons with signififi cant difference between them (P<0.01). Also it was different in patients of different TCM syndrome types (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The lowest QOL was shown in patients of the blood-stasis blocking vessel type and Gan ()-stagnation with Pi ()-defificiency type (P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The QOL of CHB patients is lower than of healthy persons and closely correlated with TCM syndrome types.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatopathy, Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China. ww44doctor@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Li-Qiong
authors.initials: LQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yi-Bo
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006262:Health; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013577:Syndrome; D014944:World Health Organization