OBJECTIVES: To analyze the impact of opioid induced constipation (OIC) on patients’ health related quality of life (HRQoL). METHODS: An observational, multicenter study was carried out in Spain. All patients were free of constipation at baseline and received opioids for at least 2 months. The impact of OIC on patients’ HRQoL was determined in a cross-sectional phase of the study. Patients were evaluated depending on response to oral treatment for OIC. HRQoL was assessed by the following tools: the Spanish version of the EuroQoL (EQ-5D) and EuroQoL Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS). The CVE-20 questionnaire and a specific question were used to assess the perceived health status related to constipation. RESULTS: Patients with OIC showed a mean (SD) overall CVE-20 score of 48.0 (18.6), the time spent defecating and discomfort caused by a bloated stomach were highly rated in the general physical dimension (56.4% in both items). Laxative dependence was the most rated item (51.9%) in the social dimension. Regarding general QoL, EQ-5D, the dimension in which patients were more affected was the pain/discomfort dimension (89.7%). Mean EQ-VAS score (SD) was 51.3 (19.3), mean EQ-5D VAS tariff (SD) was 0.45 (0.25) and mean EQ-5D TE tariff (SD) was 0.38 (0.40). Overall, responders to oral laxatives showed a better HRQoL than non-responders. The CVE-20 questionnaire score in responders was higher than in non-responders (50.8 vs. 40.6, respectively, p<0.001). Regarding general QoL, the EQ-5D anxiety/depression was the only dimension significantly more affected in non-responders (p=0.003). Accordingly, responders obtained statistically significant higher EQ-VAS score (SD), 53.0 (18.9) vs. 45.5 (18.4) (p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: OIC is one of the most distressing opioid adverse events and as such, has a negative impact on HRQoL. The differences observed in the CVE-20 and EQ-VAS scores between responders and non-responders are statistically significant and may also have a clinical impact.