Gender differences in health-related quality of life measured by the Sarcoidosis Health Questionnaire

Abstract

Sarcoidosis is granulomatous disease, which complex etiology is yet to be fully discovered. In the majority of cases its course is self-limiting. However it can have different clinical manifestations and can be debilitating condition with great impact on health-related quality of life (HRQL). The aim of our study was to assess if there are any differences in HRQL dependent to gender. We examined a group of 33 males and 42 females (with no differences in mean age, disease activity, TLCO, FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC) with a use of Sarcoidosis Health Questionnaire. We revealed lower total and daily functioning score in female group. Further analyses stratified by sex and activity of the disease presented many significant differences between the groups, revealing important issues for the discussion about gender specific differences in the HRQL of patients with sarcoidosis. In spite of clinical presentation may be similar, expectations and main concerns of sarcoidosis patient can vary between females and males. Therefore, it appears that in terms of education and symptomatic treatment accents should be put differently depending on the gender of the patient. Our results may also point to a need for more gender-oriented patient-physician communication which could enable better understanding, potentially improve adherence to therapy and decrease the risk of possible complications.

Health Perception among Female COVID-19 Patients. Comment on Fernández-de-las-Peñas et al. Female Sex Is a Risk Factor Associated with Long-Term Post-COVID Related-Symptoms but Not with COVID-19 Symptoms: The LONG-COVID-EXP-CM Multicenter Study. J. Clin. Med. 2022, 11, 413

“…As Fernández-de-las-Peñas and colleagues note, our results also suggest that female sex might be related to a worse HRQOL perception in terms of symptoms after the acute infection, even if the disease is less severe during that phase. This has been also observed in other conditions like chronic fatigue [ 7 ], connective tissue disorders [ 8 ], diabetes mellitus [ 9 ], or cardiovascular diseases like atrial fibrillation [ 10 ]. This effect seems to be independent of the severity of these illnesses [ 1 , 6 , 8 , 10 , 11 ].…”

“…This has been also observed in other conditions like chronic fatigue [ 7 ], connective tissue disorders [ 8 ], diabetes mellitus [ 9 ], or cardiovascular diseases like atrial fibrillation [ 10 ]. This effect seems to be independent of the severity of these illnesses [ 1 , 6 , 8 , 10 , 11 ]. Additionally, a worse overall perception of health has been noted among women in healthy general population samples [ 12 , 13 , 14 ], independent of age and educational or income status [ 11 , 14 , 15 ].…”

Gender Differences Regarding Self-Perceived Physical and Mental Health in Spanish University Sports and Physical Therapy Students after Termination of the COVID-19 Lockdown Period

“…Men and women exhibit different biological, behavioral, social, and cultural characteristics. Sex-related differences are apparent in social interactions, lifestyles, health perceptions, and actions individuals take to influence their health status [37,38]. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis found that women had more symptoms of depression and anxiety than men [19,20].…”