The quality of well-being in cystic fibrosis

Abstract

Traditional outcome measures in CF include PFTs, exercise tests, and several scoring systems that depend on pulmonary status and are largely subjective. The Quality of Well-being scale (QWB) is a widely used tool for measuring quality of life by three subscales: mobility, physical activity, and social activity, with points assigned within each subscale. The QWB has been shown to be valid in patients with COPD. We administered the QWB scale to 44 patients with CF, aged 7 to 36 years, and examined the relationship between QWB and PFTs, and in 15 patients the QWB vs exercise performance (peak VO2) on a progressive cycle ergometer test. QWB was significantly correlated with each variable examined: QWB vs FEV1, r = 0.5518 (p less than .0001); QWB vs FEF25-75%, r = 0.4793 (p less than .001); QWB vs PEFR, r = 0.4018 (p less than .01); QWB vs peak VO2, r = 0.5778 (p less than .01). The QWB scale is an objective measure that is significantly correlated with measures of performance and pulmonary function in CF. The relationship is not one of identity; further, the QWB is broad based and takes into account general well-being, not just pulmonary health, adding an important dimension to the care of patients with CF.