Abstract

Background and purpose: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most common diseases in this era that affect the quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to evaluate the QOL in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis attending Anti-TB Centre in Zabol, Iran. Materials and methods: In a cross-sectional descriptive research, 168 TB patients were selected through simple random sampling in 2015. Data was collected by a questionnaire including 40 items. It was then analyzed in SPSS V.21 applying Chi-square, ANOVA and t-test. Probability values less than 0.05 were considered as significant. Results: The majority of patients were female (55.35). The mean age of the study group was 45.58±15.93. The mean score for QOL for all patients was 84.88±8.84. The t-test showed a significant difference between the QOL mean score and marital status (P=0.000), employment status (P=0.000) and history of smoking (P= 0.039). Also, the ANOVA test showed a significant difference between the QOL mean score and educational level (P=0.000). But no significant difference was found between the mean score for QOL and sex, place of residence and family history of the disease. Moreover, the Chi-square test showed no significant relationship between the quality of life and age in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Conclusion: Despite the treatment of tuberculosis, the disease leaves a negative impact on patients’ QOL. Family members and health care team can help the patients in coping with the disease and improving their quality of life by recognizing the factors influencing the QOL. © 2016, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.