Health-related quality of life and work productivity in Japanese patients with primarily stable ANCA-associated vasculitis: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and work productivity of Japanese patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV).

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of Japanese patients with AAV at three university hospitals using the HRQoL and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaires.

Results: Ninety-two patients with AAV participated. The values of all eight subscale scores and physical component summary (PCS) and role component summary (RCS) scores of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the 5-level EuroQoL 5-Dimensions Questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) index values of the AAV patients were significantly lower than the Japanese population norms. The Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score and Vasculitis Damage Index were weakly and negatively correlated with the SF-36 PCS scores. Among the 25 patients with AAV who worked for pay, the absenteeism and presenteeism due to AAV were 17% and 32%, respectively, and were mild-to-moderately and negatively correlated with the SF-36 PCS and RCS scores and the EQ-5D-5L index values.

Conclusion: The HRQoL of Japanese patients with AAV was poorer than that of the general population and was partly associated with disease activity and damage accrual. In employed patients, impaired work productivity was observed and negatively associated with HRQoL.