Disability and quality of life before and during the COVID-19 outbreak: A cross-sectional study in inflammatory bowel disease patients

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disabling condition that negatively impacts on the physical, psychological, familial and social dimensions of those effected by it. [1] Furthermore, IBD has been found to be associated with psychological disorders, which lead to an impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) [2][3][4][5] as well Background/Aim: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disorder affecting patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) which adds to their disability. Little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HRQoL of IBD patients. We aimed to evaluate HRQoL in IBD patient's pre-and post-COVID-19 pandemic using the IBD-disk questionnaire and explore associations between socio demographic factors, disease types, severity and impaired HRQoL in patients with IBD. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care centre in Saudi Arabia between November 2019 and March 2020 at the outpatient IBD clinics. The HRQoL of patients was assessed using the 10-item IBD-disk questionnaire. Results: A total of 59 IBD patients (40 Crohn's disease, 19 Ulcerative colitis) with a mean disease duration of 3.5 years were included. Most of the patients (77.97%) were on biologics while 35.59% were on immune modulators, 16.94% on 5-ASA, and 3.38% were on corticosteroids. There was no difference between any of the 10 IBD-disk variables pre and post-COVID-19 pandemic apart from the perception of body image, where there was a slightly more negative perception with an increase from 2.53 to 3.39 (P = 0.05) There was no significant difference in HRQoL between patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease in any of domains. Conclusion:The current study showed that disability and HRQoL appears to be unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic among our cohort, however further studies with longer follow up and larger sample size is needed.

The Psychological Consequences of COVID-19 Fear and the Moderator Effects of Individuals’ Underlying Illness and Witnessing Infected Friends and Family

“…It has even been observed that many people who are sick do not go to the hospital for examination due to the fear of COVID-19 infection. Since sick people are more affected by COVID-19, those who are sick have more COVID-19 fear levels [ 51 , 52 , 73 ]. Similarly, more COVID-19 fear is felt when individuals have relatives or friends who have been infected by or died from COVID-19.…”

“…Encountering or being contacting with infected people who do not show symptoms further increases this anxiety [ 49 , 50 ]. Many studies have found that people who have been sick frequently before COVID-19 are more likely to be adversely affected by COVID-19 [ 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]. Some studies have shown that individuals whose family or friends have become ill or have died because of COVID-19 have more stress, anxiety, and depression [ 50 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ].…”

­­The Combined Outcomes of the COVID-19 Pandemic and a Collapsing Economy on Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Although research, with relatively small sample size, failed at identifying a negative impact of COVID-19 on the overall QOL among a population with in ammatory bowel disease, 9 another study demonstrated that patients with Parkinson's disease experienced worse mental health with lower QOL. 8 Around 20% of our respondents had a chronic disease and exhibited a lower QOL in the whole group and the workers' subgroup.…”

“…6 Thus, COVID-19 is expected to affect the quality of life (QOL), de ned by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns". 7 However, data on the impact of COVID-19 on the QOL remain scarce, and only a few reports evaluated it among special populations, such as patients with pelvic oor disorders, 6 Parkinson's disease, 8 in ammatory bowel disease, 9 or among general practitioners working with suspected or con rmed cases on the frontline of COVID-19. 10 Another impact of the COVID-19 is the slowing down of major world economies with a higher risk for developing ones.…”

Quality of Life Prior and in the Course of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study with Brazilian Dietitians

“…The uncertainty about the Sars-CoV-2, itself and their job insecurity may affect the dietitians’ QoL. There are studies on patients’ QoL during the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ], but few among health professionals’ QoL during the pandemic [ 18 ]. Dietitians apply scientific knowledge about food and nutrition to promote optimal health outcomes to individuals, groups, and communities in health and disease states [ 19 , 20 ].…”