The researchers examined quality of life data using an institutional prospectively-collected database of patient-reported health status measures. There were 22 patients who met the criteria for inclusion. The researchers found:
1. Non-diabetics patients experienced significant improvement in the EuroQol 5-Dimensions, Pain Disability Questionnaire and Patient Health Questionnaire 9. At the same time diabetic patients didn’t have significant changes in any measure.
2. There were more non-diabetic patients who achieved EQ-5D MCID compared with the diabetic patients — 55 percent compared with 23 percent.
3. The chronic kidney disease and diabetes were independent predictors of diminished EQ-5D improvement postoperatively.
4. Diabetes was a significant independent predictor of failure to achieve EQ-5D MCID.
5. CKD trended toward predicting diminished improvement.
“In the present study, diabetes was found to independently predict diminished improvement in QOL after lumbar decompression,” concluded the study authors.
