Higher Income and Integration into the Workforce Are the Main Factors Associated with Quality of Life in Acromegalic Patients in Northeastern Brazil

• Published in: International journal of endocrinology Vol. 2018; no. 2018; pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: de Souza Paiva Ferreira, Adalgisa, de Carvalho Rocha, Viviane Chaves, da Silva Pereira Damianse, Sabrina, Nascimento, Gilvan Cortês, Souza, Marinilde Teles, Ferreira, Pedro Antônio Muniz, GuimarãesSá, Adriana Maria, dos Santos Faria, Manuel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01-01-2018; Hindawi; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Age; Analysis; Cardiovascular disease; Diabetes; Disease control; Education; Endocrinology; Family income; Hospitals; Hypertension; Insulin-like growth factors; Labor market; Laboratories; Patients; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Radiation therapy; Reference services; Socioeconomic factors; Surgery; Wages & salaries; Brazil; South Korea; United Kingdom > UK
• ISSN: 1687-8337; 1687-8345
• DOI: 10.1155/2018/6135080

Objective. To identify the factors associated with quality of life in patients with acromegaly with follow-up at the referral service in neuroendocrinology of the state of Maranhão, northeast Brazil. Methods. The Acromegaly Quality of Life Questionnaire (Acro-QoL) was used. Factors independently associated with quality of life were identified using multivariate linear regression, with p values < 0.05 considered significant. Results. The multivariate linear regression analysis indicated a positive association between being integrated into the job market and quality of life scores in the overall domain (β=0.288, p=0.003), psychological domain (β=0.291, p=0.032), and personal relationship domain (β=0.314, p=0.019). We also observed a positive association with income and the quality of life scores in all domains as follows: overall domain (β=0.037, p=0.003), physical domain (β=0.988, p=0.001), psychological domain (β=0.342, p=0.008), physical appearance domain (β=0.270, p=0.049), and personal relationship domain (β=0.315, p=0.012). Conclusion. For patients with acromegaly living in one of the least developed regions of Brazil, integration into the job market and a higher income were associated with a better quality of life.