Overall quality of life impact on candidates for septorhinoplasty according to the World Health Organization quality of life brief questionnaire (WHOQOL-Brief)

Abstract Introduction: Quality of life has been an increasingly reference measure in whole health impact of diseases and in septorhinoplasty evaluation as well. It is known that the decision for this elective surgical procedure requires the subjective perception of patients’ complaints about their own health and life stage in association with the surgeon’s aesthetic and functional perspective of each case. Objective: To define the quality of life of candidates for septorhinoplasty using the World Health Organization quality of life questionnaire, WHOQOL-Brief, and the prevalence of other independent variables for this population. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a sample of candidates for septorhinoplasty was performed. All patients responded to the WHOQOL-Brief during the pre-operative period. A normative population quality of life study was the reference for the sample size and means. Results: A total of 302 patients were included among the 322 eligible patients. Twenty patients did not complete the questionnaire correctly and were excluded from the study. The sample consisted of patients aged between 15 and 78 years (34.7±14 years): the most majority were Caucasian and female. Among this group, 88.1% declared symptoms of nasal obstruction and 77.4% complained of sleeping problems. It was seen that 10.9% patients chose the surgery primarily for aesthetic improvement; 37.1% chose it mainly because of functional symptoms and 52% chose it for both functional and aesthetic reasons. The physical health domain’s mean was 62.2 ± 17), which is a higher mean compared to the references’ standard one (Μ = 58.9± 10.5, p = 0.002). The social relationship domain mean was 70.8±18.1; that is a lower mean then general population’s one (Μ = 76.2± 18.8, p < 0.001). The psychological and the environment domain means revealed no difference when comparing the sample to the norm (μ = 65.3 ±15.1 vs. μ = 65.9 ±10.8, p = 0.530 and μ = 60.3 ±13.1 vs. μ = 59.9 ± 14.9, p = 0.667). Conclusion: The WHOQOL-Brief questionnaire proved an accurate instrument to cross-check different populations in quality of life outcomes. The study provides good evidence of lower quality of life in social relations domain and high prevalence of nasal obstruction and sleeping symptoms in candidates for septorhinoplasty. This study contributes to recent literature with relevant data supporting a more integrative evaluation in this population in the preoperative period. The results may also encourage a multidisciplinary approach for chronic symptoms when associated with nasal obstruction, sleep disorders and aesthetic complaints.摘要 引言：生活质量已日益成为疾病整体健康影响评估与鼻中隔鼻成形术（septorhinoplasty）疗效评估的参考指标。众所周知，此类择期手术的决策需结合患者对自身健康状况与生活阶段的主观主诉，以及术者针对每例病例的美学与功能考量。 研究目标：采用世界卫生组织生活质量简表（WHOQOL-Brief），明确鼻中隔鼻成形术候选人群的生活质量状况，并分析该人群的其他独立变量流行特征。 研究方法：本研究为横断面研究，纳入鼻中隔鼻成形术候选人群作为研究样本。所有患者在术前均完成WHOQOL-Brief问卷。本研究以一项标准化人群生活质量研究作为样本量与均数的参考依据。 研究结果：本研究共纳入322例符合入组标准的患者中的302例，20例未正确完成问卷者被排除。研究样本的年龄范围为15~78岁，平均年龄为34.7±14岁；其中绝大多数为白种人与女性。该人群中，88.1%自述存在鼻塞症状，77.4%主诉存在睡眠问题。10.9%的患者主要因美学改善选择手术，37.1%的患者主要因功能症状选择手术，52%的患者则同时出于功能与美学原因选择手术。身体健康领域的均分为62.2±17，高于参考标准均数（μ=58.9±10.5，P=0.002）。社会关系领域均分为70.8±18.1，低于普通人群均数（μ=76.2±18.8，P<0.001）。心理领域与环境领域的均分与标准人群无显著差异（心理领域：μ=65.3±15.1 vs μ=65.9±10.8，P=0.530；环境领域：μ=60.3±13.1 vs μ=59.9±14.9，P=0.667）。 研究结论：WHOQOL-Brief问卷可作为跨人群生活质量结果交叉验证的可靠工具。本研究证实，鼻中隔鼻成形术候选人群在社会关系领域的生活质量更低，且鼻塞与睡眠症状的患病率较高。本研究为近期相关文献提供了重要数据，支持对该人群在术前开展更具整合性的评估。研究结果或可推动针对伴随鼻塞、睡眠障碍及美学主诉的慢性症状采用多学科诊疗模式。