Assessment of quality of life in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension using WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire during COVID-19 pandemic

Background and Aim: Increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients induced temporary redistribution and reorganization Elective admittance for therapeutic purposes has been postponed for a very short period We have transformed our daily practice with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) population to telephone visits for prevention of infection This document was designed to represent the PAH patients course, relation with COVID-19 and quality of life (QOL) during pandemic Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 75 patients with PAH during COVID-19 pandemic Demographic data including age, sex, duration of illness, duration on medical treatment were collected QOL was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of life-BREF(WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire Four domains (physical, psychological, social, environmental) of the WHOQOL-BREF were the primary end points Each item is rated by a 5-point Likert scale Higher score reflects a better QOL Bivariate relationship between sociodemographic factors and QOL scores were analyzed using independent samples t-test Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine independent predictors of QOL Also second questionnaire was conducted for collecting the data during pandemic regarding the application to hospital due to PAH spesific/COVID related symptoms, hospital stay, COVID-19 PCR results if implemented, vaccine history Results: 75 respondents' distrubution has demonstrated as followed: 38 6% idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension;1 33% drugs and toxins induced;33 3% connective tissue disease associated;6 6% PAH after the correction of the congenital defect without any residual shunt, 20% Eisenmenger patients Mean age was 53 54±15 02 The majority of the patients were married (60%), retired due to disability (46 6%), and educated (58 6%) Cronbach's alpha for all 26 questions of WHOQOL-BREF was acceptable (0 892) The following values of Cronbach's alpha for each domain: physical (0 926), psychological (0 871), social (0 782), environmental (0 820) Following QOL scores were recorded: physical (47 16±15 34), psychological (54 1±17 52), social (46 3±19 64), environmental domain (45 9±17 79) Younger age and being married was associated with a better QOL score in the social domain (p=0 012, p=0 005) Employed patients scored better in the environmental domain (p=0 027) Unemployed patients had significantly low scores in overall perception of health (p<0 05) as compared to other groups Advanced functional class was found to be the only independent negative predictor of QOL in patients with PAH (p<0 05) Conclusions: Patients with PAH had overall low QOL scores in all four domains during COVID-19 pandemic None of the patients diagnosed as COVID-19 Considerable amount of patients (65%) administered self-isolation from the beginning of the COVID-19 But this self-isolation rendered the patients' mood to a more depressive and hopeless state Advanced functional class was found to be the only independent negative predictor of QOL in patients with PAH