title: Impaired health-related quality of life in pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The impact of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial (pNTM) disease on health-related quality of life (HRQL) has not been quantified.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a prospective observational study of HRQL in 51 patients with pNTM disease. One generic (Short-form 36, version 2 -SF-36), and one pulmonary disease-specific instrument (St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire--SGRQ) were administered to each subject.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-one patients with pNTM disease from one ambulatory clinic were enrolled. The mean (sd) age was 67 (10) years and 80% (41/51) were female. The most common causative NTM was MAC in 84% (43/51) followed by Mycobacterium abscessus in 8% (4/51). Radiographic disease type was nodular bronchiectasis in 71% (36/51) and fibrocavitary in 22% (11/51). For SF-36, most raw scores were at least 10 points below Canadian population-based normals, and all normbased scores were below the expected normal value of 50. For SGRQ, all scores were worse by ≥ 25 points compared with published normals. In multivariable analyses, only FVC and DLCO were significantly associated with SF-36, and only FVC and emphysema were significantly associated with SGRQ.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with pNTM disease have significantly impaired HRQL that is most closely associated with lung function and not readily explained by age, sex or extra-pulmonary comorbidity.
authors.affiliation: University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Mauli
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: Theodore K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Marras
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires