Relationship between symptoms and quality of life in a sarcoidosis population.

Background: As sarcoidosis is a multisytemic disorder, patients may suffer from various symptoms. The relationship between frequently reported symptoms and quality of life (QOL) has not yet been studied.

Objectives: The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to examine the predictive value of the most frequently reported subjective symptoms on QOL after controlling for demographic variables and clinical parameters.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at an outpatient pulmonary clinic in Zagreb, Croatia. One hundred and fifty outpatients with sarcoidosis were seen between January 2002 and May 2004. Symptoms were assessed with a symptom inventory questionnaire, and QOL was measured using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument. Clinical parameters were derived from the patients' medical files. Regression analyses were performed to examine the predictive value of symptoms on QOL.

Results: The four most frequently mentioned symptoms were fatigue, breathlessness, reduced exercise capacity and arthralgia. In various combinations, being female, using corticosteroids and fatigue predicted the QOL domains physical and psychological health as well as level of independence.

Conclusions: Fatigue appeared to be the most important symptom in predicting various QOL domains after controlling for demographics, disease stage and clinical parameters. Therefore, considering improvement in the patients' QOL, it is recommended to focus not only on objective health parameters, but also on fatigue in the management of sarcoidosis.