Objectives: The Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire is the most widely accepted measure of quality of life (QOL); however, it is cumbersome to use and requires complicated analysis. The Cleveland Global Quality of Life (CGQL) is a simpler tool, which has been validated in patients with ulcerative colitis undergoing restorative proctocolectomy. This study validates CGQL in patients with Crohn's disease and determines the correlation of QOL measurement systems with disease activity as measured by the Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI).
Methods: All patients with Crohn's disease presenting to this department between September 2001 and February 2002 were prospectively entered into a database, including demographic data, disease manifestations, Vienna classification, age at diagnosis, and duration of Crohn's disease. SF-36, CGQL, and CDAI scores were entered concurrently. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the internal consistency among the components of the CGQL score. Correlation among various QOL measures was assessed with Spearman's test. Relationships between QOL measures and various baseline factors were assessed by Wilcoxon rank sum test, Student's t test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Pearson's test, depending on the type and distribution of data. Change from baseline in the CGQL was assessed with the Wilcoxon signed rank test.
Results: One hundred seventy-eight (178) patients were entered into the database, and 169 completed QOL and CDAI data. There was a significant correlation between SF-36 and CGQL. CGQL and SF-36 correlated similarly with CDAI. Neither patient age, gender, or smoking history were associated with CGQL.
Conclusions: CGQL correlates with disease activity and is a simple measure of QOL in Crohn's disease.