Quality of life and clinical characteristics in a nonselected sample of patients with schizophrenia.

Background: Patients with schizophrenia experience low quality of life (QOL).

Aims: To examine QOL in these patients and the relation between QOL and illness duration, adjusted daily doses (ADDs) of antipsychotics, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and smoking.

Methods: In this naturalistic, cross-sectional study, 82 patients were interviewed about smoking habits. Patients completed a QOL questionnaire (World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref) consisting of physical, psychological, social and environmental domains and had height, weight and waist circumference measured. The characteristics and QOL were correlated using multiple regression analysis.

Results: QOL was significantly lower in the patients than in the general population (p < .01). In first-ever diagnosed patients, QOL was associated with BMI (regression coefficient (RC): physical -0.73, psychological -1.44 and environmental -0.55; all p < .05), ADD (RC: physical 3.71, psychological 4.37 and environmental 2.94; all p < .10) and smoking (RC: physical -0.69; p < .01). In the long-term ill patients, QOL was associated with BMI (RC: physical -1.19 and psychological -1.28; all p < .05) and illness duration (RC: physical 1.38; p < .05).

Conclusion: Patients experienced low QOL. Lower QOL was associated with high BMI, low ADD and smoking in first-ever diagnosed patients and with high BMI and short illness duration in long-term ill patients.