Abstract
Background Age is a non-modifiable risk factor important in the etiology of many diseases. The ageing process of the body absolutely contributes to the degeneration of body tissues and the loss of function and the associated health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). Purpose Effect of age on HR-QoL among patients of 13 disease units. Matherial and methods The study was conducted among 7620 patients. The following age groups were included in the analysis: <30 years old, 30-39 years old, 40-49 years old, 50-59 years, 60-69 years, 70-79 years, and ≥ 80 years. The criterion for inclusion in the group was: age ≥ 18 years, written consent to participate in the study, treatment for chronic disease (at least 2 years), absence of other diseases and/or coexisting chronic symptoms. The SF-36 (Physical Component Summary (PCS); Mental Component Summary (MCS); Index of Life Quality (ILQ)) questionnaire was used to assess HR-QoL. Results The chance of having a better HR-QoL at 60-69 years of age decreases 3-fold (OR = 0.33) in MCS compared to the youngest group of patients. As far as PCS is concerned, there is a 5-fold lower chance of better HR-QoL (OR = 0.20). However, in the oldest group of patients, the chance of better HR-QoL in the MCS dimension is more than 12 times lower, and in PCS the chance of better HR-QoL is 33 times lower. A significant correlation between quality of life and age was confirmed. The level of PCS (R=-0.60), MCS (R=-0.50) and ILQ (R=-0.58) decreases with age. Cancer diseases (CD), regardless of the patient's age, showed the strongest association with HRQoL among the 13 analyzed disease entities. The average level of HRQoL was the lowest. A decreased level of HRQoL was noted in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) aged 30-39 years. The highest HR-QoL was noted in the group of patients aged 40-49 years for both CD and CVD, in later years HR-QoL decreased in patients with CD and CVD. The chance of better HR-QoL decreases with age. After the age of 60, the highest decrease in HR-QoL is observed in both MCS and PCS. In all age groups, there is more often a chance of better HR-QoL in the MCS dimension than in PCS.