Health Status and Quality of Life in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients: Correlation with Airflow Limitation at a Tertiary Care Centre

Abstract

Background: Similar to other illnesses, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) tremendously impacts the quality of life and health status of patients. Measurement of parameters for COPD is important for complete disease management. The association between lung function and health status may help in adjusting individualized treatment plans. Objective: To evaluate the health status and quality of life (QOL) of COPD patients, utilizing validated measurement instruments, and to assess their association with airflow limitation. Methodology: This cross-sectional study included 120 COPD patients. All study cases were assessed using the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ), and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). For study cases, few additional tools also included like the Sleep Impact Scale (CASIS), the Functional Performance Inventory-Short Form (FPI-SF), and the COPD and Asthma Fatigue Scale (CAFS). Airflow limitation was measured by spirometry. For data analysis, SPSS version 25 was used. Results: Results of the present showed a strong correlation between health status scores and airflow limitation (p < 0.001). Results showed that increased COPD severity was linked to higher CAT and CCQ scores (kappa = 0.33, p < 0.001). The results support the use of these assessment tools for evaluating disease severity and quality of life in patients with COPD. Conclusion: The present study concluded that integrating Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) measurement tools into routine COPD management provides a practical alternative for assessing severity of disease in settings where spirometry is unavailable or its use is limited.