The Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objective Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. Diabetes mellitus has a major effect on patients’ quality of life, especially when the patient has other comorbidities. Therefore, this study aims to assess the quality of life of type 2 diabetic patients in the Al-Ahsa region of Saudi Arabia. Methods This was a cross-sectional study, which was conducted from September 2020 to May 2021 on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Al-Ahsa region of Saudi Arabia. Inclusion criteria were patients diagnosed with T2DM and aged 18 years and older. The EQ-5D-5L tool was used in this study to measure the quality of life. Results A total of 321 patients with T2DM participated in the study. Only 8.4% of the study participants reported that their disease did not let them do their daily activities at all. The most commonly reported problems related to diabetes mellitus and its effect on patients’ quality of life were pain/discomfort (around 68.0% of the patients reported some sort of problems in this dimension), followed by mobility, and depression and anxiety. There was a significant difference between males and females in terms of their quality of life, specifically self-care, pain and discomfort, and depression and anxiety (p<0.05). Patients from different marital statuses, education levels, employment status, and duration of the disease showed a significant difference in quality of life, except for depression and anxiety (p>0.05). Conclusion Pain/discomfort, mobility, and depression/anxiety are the main problems that are affecting diabetic patients’ quality of life. Future studies are recommended to explore the effectiveness of patient tailored interventions to decrease the negative impact of these dimensions on patients’ quality of life.

Health-related quality of life of Kuwaiti adults living with diabetes

“…However, a study done in Saudi Arabia that used the EQ-5D instrument found different results than our study ( 23 ), with a higher percentage of Saudi Arabia patients reporting problems in all sub-scales than the Kuwaiti patients in our study. The Saudi Arabia study participants reported more problems in mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain and discomfort, and depression and anxiety, than our study's participants.…”

Health-related quality of life among people with diabetes: A cross-sectional study in Hail region, Saudi Arabia ​

“…Higher monthly income earners in this study demonstrated a lower risk of mobility issues, pain or discomfort, and difficulties performing usual activities, self-care and anxiety. Higher monthly income generally led to an improved HRQoL, which is consistent with research findings from other studies [ 37 – 39 ].…”

Chất Lượng Cuộc Sống Bệnh Nhân Đái Tháo Đường Có Biến Chứng Tim Mạch

“…Chẳng hạn tại Thụy Điển về vai trò của số năm mắc đái tháo đường với việc dự báo chất lượng cuộc sống, nghiên cứu trước đây cho rằng mắc bệnh càng trẻ thì chất lượng cuộc sống càng giảm [7]. Nghiên cứu tại Saudi Arabia cho thấy tuân thủ điều trị sẽ có chất lượng cuộc sống tốt hơn nhóm không tuân thủ [10], kết quả nghiên cứu của tôi không cùng xu hướng với nghiên cứu này. Sự khác biệt có lẽ do đặc điểm của đối tượng nghiên cứu, chúng tôi tập trung vào nhóm có biến chứng tim mạch, trong khi các nghiên cứu khác tập trung vào nhóm đái tháo đường nói chung.…”