Vlad Taru1, Madalin Gabriela Indre2, Mina Dana Ignat2, Antonnela Forgione3, Tamas Racs4, Bianca Alina Olar4, Oana Farcau5, Razvan Chereches6, Horia Stefanescu2, Bogdan Procopet5. 1. Prof. Dr. O. Fodor Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hepatology Department, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 2) Liver Research Club, Cluj- Napoca, Romania; Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy. vlad.taru@lirec.ro. 2. Prof. Dr. O. Fodor Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hepatology Department, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 2) Liver Research Club, Cluj- Napoca, Romania; Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy. 3. Liver Research Club, Cluj- Napoca, Romania; Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy. 4. Liver Research Club, Cluj- Napoca, Romania. 5. Prof. Dr. O. Fodor Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hepatology Department, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Liver Research Club, Cluj- Napoca, Romania; Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 3 rd Medical Clinic, Hepatology Department, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. 6. Center for Health Policy and Public Health, College of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj- Napoca, Romania.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Health-related quality of life is an essential part of managing chronically ill patients, including patients with chronic liver disease. Various methods are used to try to assess the quality of life ranging from generic to disease-specific questionnaires. Some of the results may reveal a novel connection to the disease's evolution, which is observed directly by the patient. This study aimed to validate and assess the chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ-RO) performance in the Romanian population. METHODS: A two-phase study was designed. The first phase consisted of linguistic validation of CLDQ-RO (translation and piloting), while in the second phase, the questionnaire was applied to patients with various chronic liver diseases. Statistical validation (reliability, structural, and construct validity) was performed using SPSS v20.0, and statistical significance was considered p<0.05. RESULTS: The CLDQ-RO was applied to 231 patients with chronic liver disease (14.3% with chronic hepatitis, 35.5% with compensated cirrhosis, and 50.2% with decompensated cirrhosis). The questionnaire showed excellent overall reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.93) and good structural and construct validity, with most of the items in CLDQ-RO fitting in the domains of the original version of the questionnaire. There was a significant decrease in the overall score of the CLDQ-RO with the progression of disease (p<0.001), indicating a substantial impact of the decompensation event on health-related quality of life. Regarding the type of decompensation, ascites accurately predicted a lower quality of life (p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The CLDQ-RO is a valid and disease-specific method for assessing patients' health-related quality of life with liver disease. Among the decompensation events, it seems that ascites seriously impacts the quality of life.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Health-related quality of life is an essential part of managing chronically ill patients, including patients with chronic liver disease. Various methods are used to try to assess the quality of life ranging from generic to disease-specific questionnaires. Some of the results may reveal a novel connection to the disease's evolution, which is observed directly by the patient. This study aimed to validate and assess the chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ-RO) performance in the Romanian population. METHODS: A two-phase study was designed. The first phase consisted of linguistic validation of CLDQ-RO (translation and piloting), while in the second phase, the questionnaire was applied to patients with various chronic liver diseases. Statistical validation (reliability, structural, and construct validity) was performed using SPSS v20.0, and statistical significance was considered p<0.05. RESULTS: The CLDQ-RO was applied to 231 patients with chronic liver disease (14.3% with chronic hepatitis, 35.5% with compensated cirrhosis, and 50.2% with decompensated cirrhosis). The questionnaire showed excellent overall reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.93) and good structural and construct validity, with most of the items in CLDQ-RO fitting in the domains of the original version of the questionnaire. There was a significant decrease in the overall score of the CLDQ-RO with the progression of disease (p<0.001), indicating a substantial impact of the decompensation event on health-related quality of life. Regarding the type of decompensation, ascites accurately predicted a lower quality of life (p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The CLDQ-RO is a valid and disease-specific method for assessing patients' health-related quality of life with liver disease. Among the decompensation events, it seems that ascites seriously impacts the quality of life.