HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:
Guest Access | Sign In via User Name/Password

This Article Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Personal Article Archive Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Xie, G. Articles by Wu, Y. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Xie, G. Articles by Wu, Y.

Baseline Pulmonary Function and Quality of Life 9 Years Later in a Middle-Aged Chinese Population^*

^* From the Department of Epidemiology (Drs. Xie, Li, Zhou, Zhang, and Wu), Cardiovascular Institute and Fu Wai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College; and the Shijingshan Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Dr. Shi), Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

Correspondence to: Yangfeng Wu, MD, PhD, Department of Epidemiology, Cardiovascular Institute and Fu Wai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, #167, Beilishi Rd, Xicheng, Beijing, 100037, ROC; e-mail: Yangfengwu{at}263.net

Study objective: This research examined the association of baseline pulmonary function with future quality of life (QOL).

Methods: We collected baseline pulmonary function data in 1993 and 1994, and assessed QOL using the Chinese 35-Item Quality of Life Instrument in 2002 in a cohort of 1,356 participants. We used Pearson correlation analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, and multivariate linear regression analysis to assess the relationship between pulmonary function and QOL.

Results: The baseline percentage of age- and height-predicted FEV₁ (FEV₁%) was significantly correlated with the resurvey total QOL score (r = 0.126, p < 0.001) and with QOL scores for the general (r = 0.074, p = 0.006), physical (r = 0.085, p = 0.002), independence (r = 0.178, p < 0.001), and psychological (r = 0.064, p = 0.018) domains but not with the social and environmental domains after adjusting for age and sex. These associations were weaker for the percentage of age- and height-predicted FVC. Multiple linear regression showed that the above associations were independent of baseline and resurvey smoking status. Inclusion of respiratory symptoms in the model reduced the regression coefficients from 0.82 to 0.41 for the total QOL score and from 1.43 to 0.94 for the independence domain score, for a 10% change in FEV₁%. The age- and sex-adjusted mean total QOL scores were 78, 76, 76, and 69, respectively (p < 0.001), for the groups of normal, symptomatic only, impaired pulmonary function only, and both symptomatic and impaired pulmonary function. This trend was also significant for the general, physical, independence, and psychological domain scores.

Conclusion: Impaired baseline pulmonary function has a significant negative impact on QOL in later life that is independent of age, sex, height, and smoking status and is largely mediated through the development of chronic respiratory symptoms.

Key Words: Chinese • prospective study • pulmonary function • quality of life

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Albers, T. Schermer, and C. van Weel Airflow Limitation as a Screening Tool Chest, October 1, 2005; 128(4): 1898 - 1900. [Full Text] [PDF]