Impaired health-related quality of life in pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease

• Published in: Respiratory medicine Vol. 105; no. 11; pp. 1718 - 1725
• Main Authors: Mehta, Mauli, Marras, Theodore K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2011; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Aged; Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease; Emphysema; Female; Forced Expiratory Volume; Health Status; Health-related quality of life; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Lung diseases; Lung Diseases - microbiology; Lung Diseases - physiopathology; Male; Medical imaging; Medical sciences; Mycobacteria, atypical; Mycobacterium; Mycobacterium abscessus; Mycobacterium Infections - microbiology; Mycobacterium Infections - physiopathology; Mycobacterium infections, atypical; Nontuberculous mycobacteria; Pneumology; Prospective Studies; Pulmonary/Respiratory; Quality of Life; Severity of Illness Index; Sickness Impact Profile; Social interaction; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tuberculosis and atypical mycobacterial infections; Health-related quality of life; Mycobacterium infections, atypical; Mycobacteria, atypical; Nontuberculous mycobacteria; Lung disease; Respiratory disease; Health; Mycobacteria; Mycobacterial infection; Quality of life; Infection; Mycobacterium infections; Bacteriosis; Atypical; Pneumology
• ISSN: 0954-6111; 1532-3064; 1532-3064
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2011.08.004

The impact of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial (pNTM) disease on health-related quality of life (HRQL) has not been quantified. We performed a prospective observational study of HRQL in 51 patients with pNTM disease. One generic (Short-form 36, version 2 -SF-36), and one pulmonary disease-specific instrument (St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire – SGRQ) were administered to each subject. Fifty-one patients with pNTM disease from one ambulatory clinic were enrolled. The mean (sd) age was 67 (10) years and 80% (41/51) were female. The most common causative NTM was MAC in 84% (43/51) followed by Mycobacterium abscessus in 8% (4/51). Radiographic disease type was nodular bronchiectasis in 71% (36/51) and fibrocavitary in 22% (11/51). For SF-36, most raw scores were at least 10 points below Canadian population-based normals, and all normbased scores were below the expected normal value of 50. For SGRQ, all scores were worse by ≥25 points compared with published normals. In multivariable analyses, only FVC and DLCO were significantly associated with SF-36, and only FVC and emphysema were significantly associated with SGRQ. Patients with pNTM disease have significantly impaired HRQL that is most closely associated with lung function and not readily explained by age, sex or extra-pulmonary comorbidity.