Assessment of quality of life in adult type 1 diabetic patients

Abstract

Introduction: Few studies have examined the quality of life (QOL) of type 1 diabetic patients (T1D) in adulthood and its association with glycemic control.
Aims: To assess the QOL of a Tunisian population of T1D adults and to identify the factors that may influence it.
Methods: It’s a cross-sectional study including 100 T1D patients over 18 years of age whose QOL was assessed by the ADDQOL scale. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors independently associated with impaired QOL.
Results: The QOL score without diabetes was -1.5±0.7 indicating that patients' QOL would be better without diabetes. Factors associated with impaired QOL were age≥33 years (p=0.011), poor socioeconomic status (p=0.01),  longer-lasting diabetes (p=0.007), lower daily insulin dose (p=0.001), human insulin-based treatment (p=0.049), higher prevalence of hospitalization for ketoacidosis (p=0.003) and infectious complication (p=0.008), higher incidence of hypoglycemia (p=0.003), higher prevalence of nephropathy (p=0.029) and diabetic retinopathy (p=0.038), higher HbA1c level (p=0.031) and irregular follow-up (p=0.021). According to multivariate analysis poor glycemic control (HbA1 ≥ 9.3%) and lower insulin dose (<0.84IU/Kg/d) were independently associated with impaired QOL.
Conclusion: There is an association between glycemic control and QOL in T1D patients in adulthood, prompting us to consider this parameter in the management of T1D patients.