title: Health-related quality of life and tuberculosis: a longitudinal cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Active tuberculosis (TB) disease can impose substantial morbidity, while treatment for latent TB infection (LTBI) has frequent side effects. We compared health-related quality of life (HRQOL) between persons diagnosed and treated for TB disease, persons treated for LTBI, and persons screened but not treated for TB disease or LTBI, over one year following diagnosis/initial assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were recruited at two hospitals in Montreal (2008-2011), and completed the Short Form-36 version 2 (SF-36) at baseline, and at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months thereafter. Eight domain scores and physical and mental component summary (PCS and MCS, respectively) scores were calculated from responses. Linear mixed models were used to compare mean scores at each evaluation and changes in scores over consecutive evaluations, among participants treated for TB disease and those treated for LTBI, each compared to the control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 263 participants, 48 were treated for TB disease, 105 for LTBI, and 110 were control participants. Fifty-four percent were women, mean age was 35 years, and 90% were foreign-born. Participants treated for TB disease reported significantly worse mean scores at baseline compared to control participants (mean PCS scores: 50.0 vs. 50.7; mean MCS scores: 46.4 vs. 51.1), with improvement in mean MCS scores throughout the study period. Scores reported by participants treated for LTBI and control participants were comparable throughout the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TB disease is associated with decrements in HRQOL as measured by the SF-36. This is most pronounced during the weeks after diagnosis and treatment initiation, but is no longer evident after two months.
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. melissaebauer@gmail.com.|Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. melissaebauer@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. sara.ahmed@mcgill.ca.|School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. sara.ahmed@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. andrea.benedetti@mcgill.ca.|Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. andrea.benedetti@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benedetti
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Epidemiology, Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada. ca.greenaway@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Greenaway
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. marek.lalli@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lalli
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. aleavens@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leavens
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. dick.menzies@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Dick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Menzies
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. claudia.vadeboncoeur@mail.mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vadeboncoeur
authors.affiliation: Faculté des sciences infirmières - School of Nursing, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada. bilkis.vissandjee@umontreal.ca.
authors.forename: Bilkis
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vissandjée
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. ashley.wynne@mail.mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wynne
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. kevin.schwartzman@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schwartzman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*