Evaluation of Quality of Life in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis Regarding Smoking History in Parents

The provision of facilities to achieve better living conditions for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is of particular importance. Smoking is one of the known factors that aggravate CF. However, the effects of exposure to secondhand smoke (consumed by parents) if not consumed by the individual him/herself are not very evident.

This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life in patients with CF based on a history of smoking in parents.

This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 100 patients with CF referred to the National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in Tehran, Iran, who were admitted in 2019 - 2021, using convenience sampling. After measuring height and weight, body mass index (BMI) was calculated, and the relationship between these factors (including a family history of smoking, pulmonary function tests, and BMI) with the quality of life of these patients was assessed. The data collection tool was a questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 20). The independent t-test and Pearson correlation test were used in this study, with a significance level of 0.05.

There was no statistically significant difference in the quality of life of the patients in the two groups whose parents were smokers and nonsmokers; however, physical and social functions and disease severity were lower in the smoking family group than in the other group (P > 0.05). In this study, there was no significant relationship between the quality of life of patients with CF in physical, emotional, and social functions and disease severity with a family history of smoking (P > 0.05); nevertheless, the quality of life was lower in patients whose fathers were smokers. In the present study, there was no significant relationship between patients’ quality of life in the smoking family group with the number of daily consumption of tobacco (cigarettes) in those around and the duration of family smoking (year).

The findings of this study showed that smoking reduces the quality of life of patients with CF. Therefore, the need for the attention of parents and relatives of patients with CF to increase patients’ quality of life is seriously felt. There was no statistically significant relationship between smoking in patients with CF and reduced quality of life in this study; however, it is suggested to perform this study on a larger sample and in different cities in patients with CF and compare the results.