Adaptive responses among Dutch elderly: the impact of eight chronic medical conditions on health-related quality of life.

OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed the impact of eight common chronic medical conditions on functional, social, and affective domains of health-related quality of life among community-based Dutch elderly (n = 5279). METHODS: Health-related quality of life was measured with six domains of the MOS Short-Form General Health Survey. The impact of the selected chronic conditions on health-related quality of life was analyzed by means of Student's t tests, analyses of variance, and multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: Compared with other domains of health-related quality of life, mental health was the least affected by chronic medical conditions. Back problems and rheumatoid arthritis/other joint complaints accounted for relatively high proportions of the variance in health-related quality of life (from 35.5% to 68.3%), except for health perceptions (22.6%), indicating that health-related quality of life is most affected by these two conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Subjective well-being is by far the domain least affected by chronic medical conditions, while physical functioning and health perceptions are most affected. Back problems and rheumatoid arthritis/other joint complaints affect health-related quality of life strongly.