Health-related quality of life in COPD patients with chronic respiratory failure

¹ Dept of Pulmonary Diseases/ Dept of Home Mechanical Ventilation, and
² Dept of Pulmonary Diseases/ Dept of Home Mechanical Ventilation, and; and Center for Rehabilitation, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: M.Duiverman{at}cvr.umcg.nl.

	Abstract

The Maugeri Respiratory Failure (MRF-28) and Severe Respiratory Insufficiency (SRI) questionnaire were recently developed to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with chronic respiratory failure, although not exclusively in COPD patients.

Whether the MRF-28 and SRI are reliable and valid HRQoL questionnaires in COPD patients with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure.

Seventy two COPD patients with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure underwent pulmonary function testing; exercise testing; and filled in the MRF-28, SRI, the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Groningen Activity and Restriction Scale, and two dyspnoea indexes.

Physical domain scores of the questionnaires correlated with exercise tolerance, dyspnoea, and daily activities, while psychological domains correlated strongly with anxiety and depression. Anxiety scores accounted for 51% and 56% of the total explained variance in total CRQ and SRI scores respectively. The emphasis of the MRF-28 was restrictions in activities of daily living (52% of total variance).

The MRF-28 and SRI are reliable and valid questionnaires in COPD patients with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure. While the emphasis in the MRF-28 is on activities of daily living, the SRI, like the CRQ, is more related to anxiety and depression.