Effect of smoking on the quality of life of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background. Research conducted on the quality of life of patients are becoming more common as a valuable complement to data of clinical assessment of the patient and the effectiveness of the therapeutic process. The aim of the study is to assess the quality of life and symptom severity in patients with COPD as well as an attempt to assess the impact of the current status of smoking on quality of life.

Material and methods. The study included 97 patients diagnosed with COPD. Resources used: COPD Assessment Test (CAT), The modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale (mMRC), St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire for COPD Patients (SGRQ-C) and author’s questionnaire.

Results. There is a strong positive correlation between the SGRQ and CAT (r = 0.64, p < 0.001), between the SGRQ and the mMRC (r = 0.67, p < 0.001) and a moderate correlation between the mMRC and CAT (r = 0.55 p < 0.001). Respondents who had never smoked did not differ significantly in terms of severity of symptoms from patients currently smoking or former smokers F = 0.63; p > 0.05 Respondents avowed by smoking status did not differ significantly between each other by comparing the severity of dyspnoea F = 2.95; p > 0.05. Those who never smoked did not obtain significantly better results in the SGRQ than current or former smokers F = 0.20; p > 0.05.

Conclusions. Patients included in the study were complaining of poor quality of life and a significant worsening of pulmonary symptoms and signs of disease. The current smoking status does not affect the quality of life in that group.