The relative contribution of co-morbidities to health-related quality of life of people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis using the Assessment of Quality of Life-8-Dimension multi-attribute utility instrument

• Published in: Quality of life research 2023-06, Vol.32 (6), p.1609-1619
• Main Authors: Zheng, Qiang, Cox, Ingrid A., de Graaff, Barbara, Campbell, Julie A., Corte, Tamera J., Glaspole, Ian, Navaratnam, Vidya, Hopkins, Peter, Zappala, Chris, Ahmad, Hasnat, Zhao, Ting, Macansh, Sacha, Walters, E. Haydn, Palmer, Andrew J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Australia; Humans; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Morbidity; Public Health; Pulmonary fibrosis; Quality of life; Quality of Life - psychology; Quality of Life Research; Sociology; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0962-9343; 1573-2649
• DOI: 10.1007/s11136-022-03331-8

Purpose Little is known about the impact of co-morbidities on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We aimed to investigate the relative contribution of co-morbidities to HRQoL of people with IPF. Methods N  = 157 participants were recruited from the Australian IPF Registry (AIPFR). Health state utilities (HSUs), and the super-dimensions of physical and psychosocial scores were measured using the Assessment of Quality of Life-8-Dimensions (AQoL-8D). The impact of co-morbidities on HRQoL was investigated using linear regression and general dominance analyses. Results A higher number of co-morbidities was associated with lower HSUs ( p trend = 0.002). Co-morbidities explained 9.1% of the variance of HSUs, 16.0% of physical super-dimensional scores, and 4.2% of psychosocial super-dimensional scores. Arthritis was associated with a significant reduction on HSUs ( β  =  − 0.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] − 0.16 to − 0.02), largely driven by reduced scores on the physical super-dimension ( β  =  − 0.13, 95% CI − 0.20 to − 0.06). Heart diseases were associated with a significant reduction on HSUs ( β  =  − 0.09, 95% CI − 0.16 to − 0.02), driven by reduced scores on physical ( β  =  − 0.09, 95% CI − 0.16 to − 0.02) and psychosocial ( β  = -0.10, 95% CI − 0.17 to − 0.02) super-dimensions. Conclusions Co-morbidities significantly impact HRQoL of people with IPF, with markedly negative impacts on their HSUs and physical health. A more holistic approach to the care of people with IPF is important as better management of these co-morbidities could lead to improved HRQoL in people with IPF.