Hahn B A, Yan S, Strassels S
Glaxo Wellcome plc, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3398, USA.
Digestion. 1999 Jan-Feb;60(1):77-81. doi: 10.1159/000007593.
Although irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is not a life-threatening condition, it can have a serious impact on a patient's daily activities and quality of life. This effect on quality of life has not been compared previously across different cultures.
We compared measures of health-related quality of life and health care resource utilization using a cross-sectional point-in-time postal survey of a random sample of 500 members of the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in the US and 500 members of the IBS Network support group in the UK. The analysis was limited to persons who reported that a physician had told them they had IBS. A general health status questionnaire, the SF-36, and a disease-specific questionnaire, the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Quality of Life questionnaire (IBSQOL), were self-administered as part of the survey to measure health-related quality of life. Results on the SF-36 were compared with published normative data for adults in the US and UK with and without chronic diseases.
The UK group (n = 343) reported significantly poorer quality of life on the SF-36 and on four parameters of the IBSQOL than did the US group (n = 287). The general health status of persons with IBS in either country was much poorer compared with that of general populations in the respective countries. Health care resource utilization (i.e. emergency room, doctor and hospital outpatient visits) of persons with IBS was similar in the two countries, as was the direct effect of IBS on employment. Nearly one third of those surveyed missed at least 1 day of work due to IBS in the previous 4 weeks, and a greater percentage cut back in their work or activities due to IBS. Taken together, average time lost or cut back amounted to nearly 5 days or 1 work-week.
IBS has a significant impact on quality of life and resource use in both the US and UK. The effect on quality of life, however, appears to be greater in the UK than in the US.
尽管肠易激综合征（IBS）并非危及生命的疾病，但它会对患者的日常活动和生活质量产生严重影响。此前尚未对不同文化背景下这种对生活质量的影响进行比较。
我们通过对美国国际功能性胃肠病基金会的500名成员和英国肠易激综合征网络支持小组的500名成员进行随机抽样的横断面即时邮政调查，比较了健康相关生活质量和医疗资源利用情况。分析仅限于那些报告医生告知其患有肠易激综合征的人。作为调查的一部分，由受试者自行填写一份一般健康状况问卷SF - 36和一份疾病特异性问卷——肠易激综合征生活质量问卷（IBSQOL），以测量健康相关生活质量。将SF - 36的结果与美国和英国有或没有慢性病的成年人已公布的标准数据进行比较。
英国组（n = 343）在SF - 36和IBSQOL的四个参数上报告的生活质量明显低于美国组（n = 287）。与各自国家的普通人群相比，两国患有肠易激综合征的人的总体健康状况要差得多。两国肠易激综合征患者的医疗资源利用情况（即急诊室、医生和医院门诊就诊）相似，肠易激综合征对就业的直接影响也相似。近三分之一的受访者在过去4周内因肠易激综合征至少缺勤1天，因肠易激综合征减少工作或活动的比例更高。综合来看，平均损失或减少的时间总计近5天或1个工作周。
肠易激综合征对美国和英国的生活质量和资源利用都有重大影响。然而，对生活质量的影响在英国似乎比在美国更大。
