Assessing quality of life in Taiwanese patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy

Background/Purpose: This study investigated the clinical significance of quality of life (QOL) related specifically to Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) among Taiwanese patients. Methods: We recruited 271 patients with GO who were seen at the National Taiwan University Hospital Department of Ophthalmology from September 1, 2012 to November 30, 2012. Patients completed the GO-QOL Questionnaire. The main outcome measures were the scores on two GO-QOL subscales: visual functioning and appearance. The percentage of responses occurring at the maximum and minimum values was also calculated to assess possible ceiling and floor effects, respectively. Results: The mean ± standard deviation QOL scores for the subscales of visual functioning and appearance were 58.39 ± 25.17 and 54.45 ± 20.52, respectively. The scores for both subscales were significantly correlated with disease severity and clinical activity scores (all p <0.05). The QOL scores for the appearance subscale were significantly correlated with the degree of diplopia (p <0.05). No significant ceiling or floor effects were observed for either subscale of the GO-QOL. Conclusion: Scores on the Chinese (Taiwan) version of the GO-QOL were strongly correlated with disease severity and clinical activity. The GO-QOL is a simple and practical tool that can be used to evaluate health-related QOL in GO patients.