Quality of life in patients of corrosive esophageal stricture treated with endoscopic dilatation

Abstract

Background and Aim: Caustic ingestion is associated with long-term sequelae in the form of esophageal and/or gastric cicatrization requiring endoscopic or surgical intervention. Quality of life (QoL) and disability in patients with caustic-induced sequelae is less explored. Methods: In this prospective study, we included consecutive patients with symptomatic caustic-induced esophageal stricture undergoing endoscopic dilatation. QoL was measured using the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQoL-BREF). Disability was measured using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0). Subjective dysphagia score was calculated by Likert scale. Results: A total of 42 patients were included in the study; 25 (59.5%) patients were male. Patients had poor WHOQoL-BREF and WHODAS scores compared to normality data in all domains of the scores among both the genders. A majority (66.7%) of patients had a current psychiatric diagnosis, with the most common being mood disorder (50%) followed by suicidality (45.2%). Males had a higher prevalence of a previous psychiatric diagnosis compared to females, while females had a higher prevalence of suicidality. Dysphagia score had strong correlation with the WHOQoL (r = −0.66; P < 0.01) and WHODAS (r = 0.71; P < 0.01). Conclusion: Patients with esophageal stricture due to caustic ingestion on long-term endoscopic dilatation have poor QoL, high prevalence of psychological morbidity, and disability.