A longitudinal study of long-term quality of life after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis

Background There is a lack of longitudinal long-term studies of quality of life (QOL) after surgery with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) for ulcerative colitis, where cohorts of patients are used as their own controls. Methods Forty ulcerative colitis patients who had undergone IPAA were prospectively assessed while they had a temporary ileostomy, and at a median of 18 months and 7 years after ileostomy closure. QOL was measured with the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale and the Well-Being Profile. Results QOL was good at all three time points and, with some exceptions, did not change significantly between the assessments. There was a high degree of stability in the patients’ evaluation of their QOL over time. Conclusions QOL was already good when the patients had a temporary ileostomy and generally did neither improve nor deteriorate during 7 years after ileostomy closure. QOL was also quite stable in terms of individual differences.