Health-related quality of life in patients with chemical warfare-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND It is well known that inhalation of chemical warfare, mostly sulfur mustard, causes injury of the respiratory system. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a common disease among these patients. Health-related quality of life is a common feature of studies in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The objective of our study was to assess the quality of life in these patients. METHODS A total of 43 male patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to chemical gas injury were enrolled into this study. Severity of disease was defined by the global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (GOLD) guideline. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the St George Respiratory Questionnaire. Symptoms, activity, impact, and total score were calculated for each patient. RESULTS The mean +/- SD age of patients was 42.5 +/- 7.4 years. According to the GOLD guideline, most (72%) of the patients were in stage 2 (mean: FEV1 1.9 +/- 0.75 L, 53.1% +/- 18.5% predicted). The mean +/- SD scores for each section of the St George Respiratory Questionnaire were 77.9 +/- 16.3 for "symptoms;" 70.2 +/- 19.6 for "activity;" 57.8 +/- 22.5 for "impact", and 64.9 +/- 19.5 as the "total score." There was a reverse correlation between FEV1 (% predicted) with symptoms (r = -0.47), activity (r = -0.61), impact (r = -0.44), and total score (r = -0.51) of the St George Respiratory Questionnaire. CONCLUSION This study showed that lower lung functions as assessed by the St George Respiratory Questionnaire worsen the quality of life in patients with chemical warfare-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.