Assessment of Health Related Quality of Life in Patient with POOR Glycaemic Control in Ahmedabad District: Generic and Disease Specific Measurement

Purpose: This study constitutes an initial attempt at elucidating the relationship between quality of life (QoL), health status and psychological distress in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) in Ahmedabad district, based on the short form-36 (SF36) and PAID (problem area in diabetes) between two different groups of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with glycaemic control: those with a glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level at or below 7.5 percent and those above 7.5 percent.

Methods: The analysis of covariance was used to obtain the adjusted mean scores of the SF-36 scales while controlling for age and duration of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The regression analysis was used between PAID scores and patients characteristics.

Results: 115 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were analyzed. There were 53 women and 62 men  and their mean HbA1c level was 8.35 percent (SD ± 1.79). When comparing the two groups with different HbA1c levels, the adjusted means of four scales of physical health component: Physical functioning, role physical, body pain and general health , general health and two scales of the mental health component: vitality and role emotional differed significantly between the two groups. Social function and mental health not significantly differed between two groups of patients. The emotional distress measured through PAID also differed significantly between the two groups.

Conclusion: Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with poor glycaemic control had lower mean SF-36 scores in: physical functioning, role physical, body pain, general health, vitality and role emotional and the emotional distress measured through PAID had higher in poor glycaemic control patients.