METHODS: A prospective study was conducted, and all TB patients meeting the HRQoL criteria were asked to complete the HRQoL SF-36 survey. The records of TB patients were examined for disease confirmation, and a follow-up was consequently performed for patients during treatment between March 2013 and February 2014 in Taiz and Alhodidah Cities. HRQol scores were calculated by using QM scoring software version 4.5, in which the physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS) were obtained. The scores obtained between 47-53 normal based score (NBS) were considered equivalent to the US normal score. Low scores indicate the poor health situation of TB patients.
RESULTS: A total of 243 TB patients enrolled in the study at the beginning of the treatment. A total of 235 and 197 TB patients completed the questionnaire at the end of the intensive phase (I.P.) and continuation phase (C.P.), respectively. The final dropout rate was 16.2%. The mean PCS and MCS scores at the beginning of treatment were low, thus showing the poor health situation of TB patients. The mean PCS scores at the beginning of treatment, end of I.P., and end of treatment were (36.1), (44.9), and (48), respectively. Moreover, the mean MCS score at the beginning of treatment, end of I.P., and end of treatment were (35.1), (42.2), and (44.3), respectively. The result shows that significant increases are observed at the end of I.P. for PCS and MCS because of the treatment and slight changes at the end of C.P. Despite this finding, the MCS score remains below the normal range (47), thus indicating a significant risk of depression among TB patients. Furthermore, general linear repeated measure ANOVA was performed for selected variables, to examine the changes of PCS and MCS over time. It was found that Alhodiah city, chewing khat habit, stigmatization, and duration of treatment more than six months were greatly associated with low mean MCS score of TB patient, indicating great risk of depression which may result in poor treatment outcome.
CONCLUSION: TB patients in Yemen were found to have poor QoL, with a significant likelihood of depression. Highly risk depression was found among TB patients in Alhodiah city, khat chewers, stigmatization and having a duration of treatment more than 6 months. Therefore, additional efforts should be made to improve their QoL because it may affect the final clinical outcome of patients.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of the public in Yemen. The relationship between participants' sociodemographic factors and their responses was assessed by the chi-square test.
RESULTS: A total of 748 participants agreed to participate in the study. Regarding the nature of the diseases, nearly half of the participants (48.8%, n=352) believed that COVID-19 is a naturally occurring human virus that is a serious and fatal disease (61.2%, n=448). The majority (74.9%; n=518) did not agree that bacteria cause COVID-19. More than half of the participants (57.5%, n=423) believed this disease is transmitted to humans through a host animal. Regarding the vulnerable groups to develop severe COVID-19 infection, most of the participants pointed out that the elderly (94.3%, n=705), people with chronic diseases (89.9%, n=669), and pregnant women (53%, n=365) were more susceptible to severe diseases. Regarding symptoms, the majority (61.9%, n=458) of the participants agreed that the symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to those of seasonal influenza. Additionally, the majority (81.9%, n=579) agreed that some individuals develop more severe symptoms than seasonal influenza, particularly those with chronic illness. Gender, age, and education were found to be associated with participants' perceptions regarding the nature of the virus and susceptibility to severe disease.
CONCLUSION: Participants demonstrate a good understanding of the nature and susceptibility to complications associated with COVID-19 disease and its relationship to influenza. However, the respondents with a lower level of education might require additional educational campaigns to improve their awareness of the disease.