engleski

Influence of symptoms on quality of life in sarcoidosis patients

Sarcoidosis patients suffer from various symptoms, fatigue being the most repeated, but other health complaints are rather frequently reported. The aim of the present study was to examine the predictive value of symptoms on quality of life (QOL) in sarcoidosis patients. All 150 sarcoidosis patients completed a symptom inventory questionnaire and the WHOQOL-100, a QOL assessment instrument. Clinical parameters were derived from patients’ medical files. Most frequent symptoms were fatigue (60% of pts), breathlessness (48%), reduced exercise capacity (46%) and arthralgia (47%). Less frequent were skin problems, chest and muscle pain, dry mouth, eye problems, impaired mobility, headache, heart problems and abdominal pain. The presence of fatigue, being female and usage of corticosteroides predicted physical and psychological health as well as level of independence. Fatigue, the most frequent symptom in sarcoidosis patients was also the most important health complaint predictor of various QOL domains after controlling for disease stage and clinical parameters. The consequence of this comprehension should be the change in the therapeutical attitude, so the treatment of sarcoidosis patients should not only focus on improving objective health parameters but also the subjective experience of fatigue.

Sarcoidosis; quality of life

Eoropean Respiratory Journal. Supplement 49