Health-Related Quality of Life among Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Ethiopia: Evidence from a Tertiary Hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa

Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, debilitating inflammatory condition affecting the gastrointestinal tract. It is primarily classified into Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Health-related quality of life (HRqoL) is significantly impaired among patients with IBD, according to studies from Western countries. However, there is a lack of data from sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aims to bridge this gap by assessing the health-related quality of life and associated factors among patients with inflammatory bowel disease in Ethiopia. METHODS Cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2022 to August 2022 on 84 patients with IBD on follow-up at St. Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College. Data was collected from medical records and patient interview using the short IBD questionnaire (SIBDQ). Descriptive statistics were presented as frequencies, medians, and means ± standard deviation (SD). Variables with a P-value < 0.2 in the bivariate analysis were included in the multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS Out of the 84 patients included in the final analysis, the majority (69%) were females. The mean age of the participants was 31.06 ± 10.7 years. Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative colitis patients make up 62 (73.8%) and 22 (26.2%) respectively. Health related quality of life was impaired in 68 patients (81%). Active disease (AOR: 9.8; 95% CI: 1.17-82; P = 0.03) and the presence of extra-intestinal manifestations (AOR:8.8; 95% CI:1.05-74; P = 0.04) were significantly associated with impaired HRQoL. CONCLUSION the majority of patients with IBD in our Ethiopian study population had impaired health related quality of life. Active disease and the presence of extraintestinal manifestations were the main factors associated with impaired HRQoL. Because health-related quality of life extends beyond bowel symptoms, holistic care is especially important for patients with active disease and extraintestinal manifestations.