Quality of Life in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Abstract

Summary The presence of diabetes mellitus leads to a decrease in life quality in all domains. The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) in diabetic patients and the factors affecting it in type 2 diabetic mellitus patients. We conducted a cross-sectional study that included 86 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, in the territory of the City of Niš. Health-related QOL of patients was measured using the short form survey (SF-36) that produces an 8-scale health profile. The average duration of diabetes was 12.76±8.08 years. The best QOL in all areas was observed in patients diagnosed with diabetes less than 10 years ago p<0.05) and younger than 65 years. Male respondents perceived a better QOL compared to women, especially in the vitality and pain domains. The patients with comorbidity (93.64%) had lower QOL score in all domains. There was no significant difference in the QOL of patients with diabetes compared to the level of education. High QOL represents an ultimate goal and an important outcome of all medical interventions in diabetic patients. Factors related to lower QOL included: older age, female gender, and existence of comorbidities. Uncontrolled diabetic patients had a lower QOL than controlled diabetics.