Researchers Focus on Improving Quality of Life

Hundreds of new abstracts were published for this year’s CHEST conference. Here are some of the highlights around the topic of “quality of life” as they relate to various disease states.

Chushkin et al presented the data on their study, Quality of Life and Pulmonary Impairment in Patients Cured for Tuberculosis: Gender Differences. Knowing that the worldwide prevalence of tuberculosis is greater in men than in women, the researchers aimed to define gender-related difference in quality of life (QoL) and pulmonary impairment in patients that were diagnosed and treated for pulmonary tuberculosis. They found that “pulmonary function was a bit more impairment in males,” and that “women had worse health status, reflected in worse St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score.”

Gazala et al also released the abstract of their study, Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) After Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Lobectomy for Early Stage Lung Cancer, which assessed the HRQL in patients with non-small cell lung cancer that were undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) lobectomy. They found that, “While previous work have shown that HRQL after thoracotomy for lung cancer resection impairs patients’ HRQL for a period of 6 to 12 months, those undergoing VATS lobectomy regain most of their baseline HRQL in as soon as 3 months post operatively.

Terra et al presented the data from their study, Quality of Life in Patients With Malignant Pleural Effusion Undergoing Pleurodesis. The intention of the research team was to examine the quality-of-life before and 30 days after pleurodesis in patients with malignant pleural effusion. Additionally, the study authors identified predictors of quality-of-life improvement after pleurodesis. They concluded that “a better understanding of how quality-of-life is worsened by malignant pleural effusion as well as the role of pleurodesis in improving the quality-of-life of such patients is essential for developing a patient-centered algorithm to manage malignant pleural effusion.”

Goktalay et al released the information from their poster session, Relation Between Sleep Quality and Quality of Life in COPD Patients: Preliminary Results. The focus of this research was to determine the sleep status, and examine the affect sleep has on the quality of life of COPD patients. They found that, as disease progressed, the sleep quality and quality of life was worsened in patients with COPD, and also noted that the relation between sleep quality and quality of life was observed.

To read more about research highlights at CHEST 2012, please visit the American College of Chest Physicians website.