Predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis in Southwest China

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate health-related quality of life (QoL) and explore its predictors in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in Southwest China. Patients and Methods: We recruited AS patients from a tertiary hospital in Chengdu, China. Data were collected by self-reported questionnaires, including sociodemographic and disease-related variables, the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form (SF-36), Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Global score (BAS-G). Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the factors affecting physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) of SF-36. Results: A total of 125 patients with AS were included in the current study. The PCS, MCS scores of SF-36 were 41.06 +/- 9.12, 47.82 +/- 9.84, respectively. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that higher educational level (beta=0.237, P<0.001) and income (beta=0.141, P=0.017), lower BASDAI (beta=-0.195, P=0.006), BASFI (beta=-0.317, P<0.001) and BAS-G (beta=-0.288, P<0.001) scores were associated with higher PCS scores of SF-36. Higher BDI-II (beta=-0.444, P<0.001) and fatigue (beta=-0.293, P<0.001) scores were associated with worse MCS scores of SF-36. Conclusion: AS patients in Southwest China had impaired health-related QoL. Healthcare providers should take effective strategies to modify the factors affecting health-related QoL, which may prompt disease management and increase QoL.