Interrelationships between heath utility measurements, disease activity and psychological factors in Behçet's disease

Abstract

Objectives: To measure health utilities Time Trade-Off (TTO) and Standard Gamble (SG) in Behcet's disease (BD), and explore the interrelationships with EQ-5D-5L, disease activity, depression, anxiety and fatigue.

Methods: TTO, SG, EQ-5D-5L, EQ VAS, depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7) and fatigue (MAF) questionnaires were administered to 103 adult BD patients. Disease activity was assessed using the Behçet's Disease Activity Index (BDAI).

Results: Mean TTO was 0.72 ± SD 0.27, mean SG 0.70 ± SD 0.34, and mean EQ-5D-5L 0.519 ± SD 0.315. Moderate to severe depression was identified in 55.2%, moderate to severe anxiety in 35.1% and moderate to high fatigue in 97.7% patients. TTO correlated with SG (p < 0.01), EQ-5D-5L (p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with depression (p < 0.01), anxiety (p < 0.01) and fatigue (p < 0.01). Multiple linear regression showed SG was the only predictor of TTO (p = 0.002). Cluster analysis revealed one cluster where psychological factors rather than disease activity may have influenced TTO and SG scores.

Conclusion: TTO and SG show that BD patients would on average forgo 28% of their remaining life or run a 30% risk of death to avoid the condition. Complex interrelationships with depression, anxiety and fatigue appear to play an important role in their decision making.

Keywords: Anxiety; Behçet's disease; Depression; Fatigue; Healthcare quality indicators.