A Canonical Correlation Analysis of Factors that Influence Quality of Life Among Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Based on QLICD-COPD (V2.0)

Abstract Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the diseases with the highest morbidity and mortality globally. The Quality of Life Instrument for Chronic Diseases(QLICD)-COPD(V2.0) was designed to assess the health condition of patients with COPD. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of patients, the influential clinical factors, and the relationships between QOL and clinical objective indicators. Methods Two hundred and sixty-one in-patients with COPD in the acute exacerbation stage were evaluated using the QLICD-COPD(V2.0) and data on clinical objective indicators were collected. The relationships between QOL and the clinical objective indicators were determined using canonical correlation analysis. Results The standardized scores for the patients in four domains, namely physical function, psychological function, social function, and a disease-specific module, were 49.00 ± 12.91, 59.89 ± 13.51, 68.59 ± 11.94, and 51.84 ± 13.58, respectively. The total score for the QOL of patients was 57.17 ± 10.26. Two pairs of canonical correlation variables were statistically significant (P < 0.05), with coefficients of 0.35 and 0.26. These variables respectively accounted for 45.8% and 33.8% of the variance. The levels of total protein, albumin, serum sodium, and alkaline phosphatase and the percentages of neutrophils and lymphocytes were correlated with the QOL. Conclusion During COPD treatment, clinicians should pay close attention to the levels of total protein, albumin, serum sodium, and alkaline phosphatase and the percentages of neutrophils and lymphocytes to improve the QOL of patients.