Quality of life, work productivity impairment and healthcare resources in inflammatory bowel diseases in Brazil

Abstract

Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have been associated with a low quality of life (QoL) and a negative impact on work productivity compared to the general population. Information about disease control, patient-reported outcomes (PROs), treatment patterns and use of healthcare resources is relevant to optimizing IBD management.

Aim: To describe QoL and work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI), treatment patterns and use of healthcare resources among IBD patients in Brazil.

Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study included adult outpatients who were previously diagnosed with moderate to severe Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC). At enrolment, active CD and UC were defined as having a Harvey Bradshaw Index ≥ 8 or a CD Activity Index ≥ 220 or calprotectin > 200 µg/g or previous colonoscopy results suggestive of inadequate control (per investigator criteria) and a 9-point partial Mayo score ≥ 5, respectively. The PRO assessment included the QoL questionnaires SF-36 and EQ-5D-5L, the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ), and the WPAI questionnaire. Information about healthcare resources and treatment during the previous 3 years was collected from medical records. Chi-square, Fisher's exact and Student's t-/Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare PROs, treatment patterns and the use of healthcare resources by disease activity (α = 0.05).

Results: Of the 407 patients in this study (CD/UC: 64.9%/35.1%, mean age 42.9/45.9 years, 54.2%/56.6% female, 38.3%/37.1% employed), 44.7%/25.2% presented moderate-to-severe CD/UC activity, respectively, at baseline. Expressed in median values for CD/UC, respectively, the SF-36 physical component was 46.6/44.7 and the mental component was 45.2/44.2, the EQ-visual analog scale score was 80.0/70.0, and the IBDQ overall score was 164.0/165.0. Moderate to severe activity, female gender, being unemployed, a lower educational level and lower income were associated with lower QoL (P < 0.05). Median work productivity impairment was 20% and 5% for CD and UC patients, respectively, and activity impairment was 30%, the latter being higher among patients with moderate to severe disease activity compared to patients with mild or no disease activity (75.0% vs 10.0%, P < 0.001). For CD/UC patients, respectively, 25.4%/2.8% had at least one surgery, 38.3%/19.6% were hospitalized, and 70.7%/77.6% changed IBD treatment at least once during the last 3 years. The most common treatments at baseline were biologics (75.3%) and immunosuppressants (70.9%) for CD patients and 5-ASA compounds (77.5%) for UC patients.

Conclusion: Moderate to severe IBD activity, especially among CD patients, is associated with a substantial impact on QoL, work productivity impairment and an increased number of IBD surgeries and hospitalizations in Brazil.

Keywords: Crohn’s disease; Healthcare resources; Inflammatory bowel disease; Quality of life; Ulcerative colitis.