Health-related quality of life in subjects with functional bowel disorders in Germany

Objectives: A low health-related quality of life (HRQL) was reported in subjects with functional bowel disorders (FBD). The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between HRQL and FBD within a three year period in a population-based sample in Germany. Design: A panel-study based on an age- and sex-stratified random sample of subjects aged 21-80 years in Dusseldorf, Germany (about 500,000 population). Methods: The presence of FBD, in particular lower abdominal pain, was assessed annually over a three year period using a postal questionaire. With the last questionning, HRQL was assessed using the Medical Outcome Short Form (SF36) in 305 subjects responding all three questionaires (49% males, mean age (SD) 54 (15) years). HRQL was analyzed based on SF36 scores and component summary scores, adjusted for age and sex using regression models. Results: Twenty-eight percent (28%; 95% confidence interval 23 - 33%) of the respondents reported FBD in at least one year of the study period. HRQL was significantly lower in study subjects with FBD in all scores compared to subjects without any FBD during obervation time and compared to the German general population. No significant differences between subjects with persistent and those with intermittend FBD could be evaluated. Conclusions: Subjects with FBD within a three-year period had impaired HRQL compared to subjects without FBD and the general population in Germany. HRQL seemed to be less impaired than in subjects with IBS from the UK and the US.