Quality of life in morbid obesity

Introduction: morbid obesity (MO) is a chronic disease that is reaching epidemic proportions and becoming an increasing health problem in developed countries. Obesity-related comorbidities reduce both the quality and expectancy of life. Objectives: to validate the GIQLI (Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index) test as a reliable and effective tool for the evaluation of quality of life in morbidly obese patients. Patients and methods: the GIQLI test is made up of 36 individually scored items, the addition of which give up a final score. A higher score correlates with a better quality of life. Items can be separated into five groups or dimensions: digestive symptoms, emotional status, effects of treatment, and physical as well as social dysfunction. The GIQLI test was administered to a randomized sample of 1990 morbidly obese patients who fulfilled the indication criteria for bariatric surgery, and to a control group of 100 healthy individuals with no known medical, functional or psychiatric disease. Overall test and specific dimension scores were evaluated for each group. Results: overall test and specific dimension scores were significantly lower in patients with MO when compared to the control group. The overall GIQLI score decreased as age increased, as did the number of associated comorbidities. Conclusions: the GIQLI test proved to be a rather useful tool to evaluate quality of life in morbidly obese patients. These patients present a poorer quality of life not only because of the presence of digestive symptoms but also because of their emotional, physical, and social status.