Quality of life and its relationship to the degree of illness acceptance in patients with diabetes and peripheral diabetic neuropathy.

PURPOSE

Assessment of quality of life, especially from the psychological point of view, is likely to be strongly influenced by the degree of acceptance of one's own illness and the resultant negative emotional reactions associated with the illness itself. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between quality of life and the degree of acceptance of illness in diabetic patients with and without peripheral diabetic neuropathy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

59 patients with diabetes were included in the study; they consisted of patients both with and without peripheral diabetic neuropathy. The degree of acceptance of illness was assessed using the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS) and quality of life (HRQOL - health-related quality of life) was measured using the SF-36v2.

RESULTS

Quality of life in people with diabetes was reduced and related to their levels of illness acceptance. Factors affecting illness acceptance in patients with peripheral diabetic neuropathy included feelings of being a burden to their family and friends (p < or = 0.05) and the belief that people in their company are made anxious by the patient's illness (p < or = 0.05). These patients also defined their health status as being worse than that of diabetic patients without additional disease complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Quality of life and illness acceptance were found to be strongly related. In general, patients with chronic peripheral diabetic neuropathy express lower degrees of acceptance of their illness than diabetic patients without peripheral diabetic neuropathy. Their subjective assessment of health status is also significantly worse than that of diabetic patients without neuropathy.