Association between Health-Related Quality of Life and Nutritional Status in Adult Patients with Crohn’s Disease

Abstract

This study aimed to assess health related quality of life (HRQoL) in adult patients with Crohn’s disease (CD), considering disease severity and gender differences, and also its relationship with nutritional status. Consecutive adult patients aged 18–65 years with CD were recruited. Disease activity was clinically defined by the Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (CDAI) in active and quiescent phases. HRQoL was evaluated using the validated short form (SF)-36 questionnaire for the Italian population. Additionally, anthropometry, bioimpedance analysis, and handgrip-strength (HGS) were performed. Findings showed that 135 patients (79 men and 56 women) were included, having a mean age of 38.8 ± 14 years and a BMI of 23.2 ± 3.7 kg/m2. Overall, active CD patients had a lower perception of their QoL compared to those clinically quiescent, while gender differences emerged mostly in the quiescent group. Interestingly, HRQoL was significantly associated with many nutritional variables, and muscle strength was the main predictor. Therefore, HRQoL is perceived lower in active compared to quiescent patients, but women experienced poorer QoL than men, especially in the quiescent phase. Finally, higher QoL scores were found in subjects being in clinical remission phase with a preserved muscle function. However, further studies are still required to verify these findings.

The Reality of Patient-Reported Outcomes of Health-Related Quality of Life in an Italian Cohort of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Results from a Cross-Sectional Study

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Evaluation of nutritional status using bioelectrical impedance analysis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

“…Malnutrition has negative effects on IBD patients and can reduce their quality of life. 22,23 Therefore, nutritional management is very important for IBD patients, although traditional evaluation methods involve blood tests and questionnaires, which are limited by cost, invasiveness, and complex process. Recent studies have evaluated whether body composition testing can supplement the traditional blood tests and questionnaires in this setting.…”

Assessment of illness acceptance and satisfaction with life in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, taking into account sociodemographic and clinical factors

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