OBJECTIVES: To report health-state utility values measured using the five-level EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) in Chinese irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients who are diagnosed with predominant constipation subtype (IBS-C) and to explore how these values vary in relation to patient characteristics and treatment factors.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Patients diagnosed with IBS-C were recruited from Shanghai RenJi Hospital of China. Face-to-face interviews were carried out from July 2018 to September 2019. Patients assessed their health status by using EQ-5D-5L and a visual analogue scale. The EQ-5D estimate was calculated on the basis of responses to five domains by using the Chinese population norms. Multiple regression analyses were adopted to predict the relationship between the EQ-5D estimate and patient characteristics.

RESULTS: 221 patients were included in the health utility analysis. The proportion of recurrent disease was 61%. The mean EQ-5D estimate was 0.79 ± 0.18 with a range from 0.63 to 1. The EQ-5D estimate was comparable with that obtained from the linaclotide Phase 3 studies in IBS-C (ranged from 0.73 to 0.86 [Eur J Health Econ 17: 1091]). There were no responses of “severe problem” and “extreme problem” for mobility, self-care and usual activities. The frequency of “slight problem” and “moderate problem” was about 79% for pain/discomfort and 74% for anxiety/depression, respectively. The log-logistic regression model showed that EQ-5D score was a significant predictor of re-visiting outpatient due to uncontrolled symptoms of IBS-C and work-loss.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with IBS-C have deteriorated health related quality of life, with pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression as the most frequently reported problems. This study provides new insights into variations in health-state utility values from a single source that can be used to inform cost-effectiveness evaluations in patients with IBS-C.