Quality of Life Assessments in Patients with Peptic Ulcer During Treatment and Follow-up

Abstract

Quality of Life (QOL) has traditionally not been evaluated in patients with peptic ulcer disease. In this study, QOL was evaluated before treatment (day 0), during treatment (day 15), 14 days after treatment stopped (mean day 38), after 6 months and 1 year. Investigation was done by using a questionnaire which was mailed to the patient and mailed back within a few days. Psychological General Well-Being (PGWB) was used as a QOL base. Patients were treated with effective acid reduction. A total of 392 patients were included and the questionnaire response rate was 95%. The general QOL score for PGWB, which initially was low, increased significantly during treatment to a maximum two weeks post-treatment. At the six and twelve-month follow-up the scores dropped slightly. It is concluded that QOL assessments seem useful in the evaluation of medical regimens for peptic ulcer disease. The scores follow the clinical state, which enables future comparisons of different regimens.