OBJECTIVES :

Chronic diseases are associated with impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes. Comparison of HRQoL outcomes between different diseases and with the general population is of major importance to health economists, epidemiologists, clinicians, and policy makers. The aim of this systematic literature review was to develop a catalogue with EQ-5D scores in chronic non-communicable diseases, and to compare these scores with reference values from the general population.

METHODS :

MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science were systematically searched independently by two reviewers. Studies were included if they reported mean EQ-5D index values for the adult population and if these scores were compared with the general population. The QualSyst tool for quantitative research was used for quality appraisal.

RESULTS :

Hundred and eighty-one articles met the inclusion criteria. An extensive catalogue summarizes the EQ-5D scores in a wide variety of chronic diseases. Mean EQ-5D index values ranged between -0.20 and 1. Lower EQ-5D scores are reported in chronic diseases compared to the general population, specifically in neurological disorders. Most of the diseases demonstrate a substantial disutility, although a minority of diseases have equal or even higher index scores than the general population.

CONCLUSIONS :

A comprehensive, international catalogue has been developed to provide EQ-5D index scores for diverse chronic diseases compared with reference values based on the available literature. These scores can be used for health economic evaluations and for policy objectives. Future studies should focus on unexamined diseases and specific patient groups to expand the evidence base on HRQoL in chronic diseases.