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Cited by 786Chronic Disease Management StrategiesHealth Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of LifeMusculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation

Health-related quality of life associated with chronic conditions in eight countries: results from the International Quality of Life Assessment (IQOLA) Project

Alonso, Jordi, Ferrer, Montserrat, Gandek, Barbara, Ware, John E., Aaronson, Neil K., Mosconi, Paola, Rasmussen, Niels K., Bullinger, Monika +3 more·2004·Quality of Life Research
DOI 10.1023/b:qure.0000018472.46236.05
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Abstract

Context Few studies and no international comparisons have examined the impact of multiple chronic conditions on populations using a comprehensive health-related quality of life (HRQL) questionnaire.Objective The impact of common chronic conditions on HRQL among the general populations of eight countries was assessed.Design Cross-sectional mail and interview surveys were conducted.Participants and setting Sample representatives of the adult general population of eight countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway and the United States) were evaluated. Sample sizes ranged from 2031 to 4084.Main outcome measures Self-reported prevalence of chronic conditions (including allergies, arthritis, congestive heart failure, chronic lung disease, hypertension, diabetes, and ischemic heart disease), sociodemographic data and the SF-36 Health Survey were obtained. The SF-36 scale and summary scores were estimated for individuals with and without selected chronic conditions and compared across countries using multivariate linear regression analyses. Adjustments were made for age, gender, marital status, education and the mode of SF-36 administration.Results More than half (55.1%) of the pooled sample reported at least one chronic condition, and 30.2% had more than one. Hypertension, allergies and arthritis were the most frequently reported conditions. The effect of ischemic heart disease on many of the physical health scales was noteworthy, as was the impact of diabetes on general health, or arthritis on bodily pain scale scores. Arthritis, chronic lung disease and congestive heart failure were the conditions with a higher impact on SF-36 physical summary score, whereas for hypertension and allergies, HRQL impact was low (comparing with a typical person without chronic conditions, deviation scores were around -4 points for the first group and -1 for the second). Differences between chronic conditions in terms of their impact on SF-36 mental summary score were low (deviation scores ranged between -1 and -2).Conclusions Arthritis has the highest HRQL impact in the general population of the countries studied due to the combination of a high deviation score on physical scales and a high frequency. Impact of chronic conditions on HRQL was similar roughly across countries, despite important variation in prevalence. The use of HRQL measures such as the SF-36 should be useful to better characterize the global burden of disease.

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  • Musculoskeletal disorders and major depressive episode are associated with the highest levels of disability at the individual level among commonly occurring disorders; major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder are the mental disorders most often rated severely impairing in both developed and developing countries; none of the physical disorders considered had impairment levels as high as major

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    From The Costs of Depression (2012) · cites this paper as [82]

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Authors
Alonso, J., Ferrer, M., Gandek, B., Ware, J. E., Aaronson, N. K., Mosconi, P., Rasmussen, N. K., Bullinger, M., Fukuhara, S., Kaasa, S., & Leplège, A.
Affiliations
  • Institut Municipal d'Assistència Sanitària (ES)
  • The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NL)
  • Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research (IT)
  • Danish National Institute of Public Health (DK)
  • University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (DE)
  • Kyoto University (JP)
  • Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO)
  • Inserm (FR)
Corresponding author
Alonso, Jordi
ORCID
Venue
Quality of Life Research
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2004-03
Volume
13
Issue
2
Pages
283-298
ISSN
  • 0962-9343 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-2649
DOI
10.1023/b:qure.0000018472.46236.05
OpenAlex
W1966394954
Cited by
786
References
47
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 36 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 36 · 2016: 50 · 2015: 46 · 2014: 46 · 2013: 47 · 2012: 45
FWCI
24.45
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Quality of Life Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • eScholarship@UMassChan (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Sundhed og Sygdom, Det Frie Forskningsråd
  • Generalitat de Catalunya
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Chronic Disease Management Strategies
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
Keywords
health-related quality of life, chronic disease, multimorbidity, SF-36, arthritis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, chronic lung disease, allergy, cross-national comparison, global burden of disease, physical and mental health
MeSH terms
Adult, Chronic Disease, Cross-Sectional Studies, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Europe, Female, Humans, Japan, Male, Middle Aged, Quality of Life, United States, Comorbidity, Prevalence, Linear Models, Sickness Impact Profile

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