Quality of Life in Patients With Liver Cirrhosis: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Quality of life (QOL) is a powerful phrase that reflects maintaining health and well-being in different societies and cultures, reflecting the positive and negative aspects of people’s lives. Patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) have an undesirable QOL, and this has become one of the most important causes of mortality in the world. Objective: This review article aimed to summarize the results of previous studies on health-related QOL in patients with LC to determine their problems and needs. Methods: This review was conducted using Cochran’s seven-step model. This paper is the result of research on QOL in patients with LC through searches conducted in Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct using the keywords liver cirrhosis, chronic liver disease, quality of life, health-related quality of life, and self-care for articles published between 2012-2018. Ultimately, 11 articles were obtained and analyzed. Results: The results of this review showed that the QOL in patients with LC is poor and is lower than in other populations. Many factors, such as age, gender, and education, influence QOL and should be addressed in order to solve the challenges and problems faced by these patients. Increasing awareness and education are the most important issues for LC patients. Conclusion: QOL in patients with LC is affected by many factors. The lack of awareness about the disease and its complications is considered the biggest problem for these patients. To improve the QOL and care of these patients, nursing care guidelines, awareness raising, and education about the disease and its complications, treatment, and new treatments are needed.