بررسي كيفيت زندگي آسيب ديدگان بمباران شيميايي سردشت

Quality of Life in Chemical Warfare Victims in Sardasht, Iran

Background and Objectives: The use of chemical weapons produces widespread and indiscriminate casualties.The acute and chronic effects of these agents have been reported and documented. The purpose of this study was to assess quality of life in chemical attack survivors in Sardasht, Iran. The quality of lives of chemical victims were compared with the quality of lives of a general population sample. The impact of demographic characteristics and severity of disability on quality of life were examined too. Materials and Methods:The sample of the study consisted of 232 chemical attack survivors and 100 individuals as a control group. Data were gathered by interviewing and studying medical files. The interview schedule consisted of demographic information and quality of life scale in which physical, psychological and social aspects were measured. Information about medical consequences of chemical weapon exposure and severity of disability were obtained by studying medical files. Results: Chemical victim group consisted of 76 female and 156 male subjects. Females comprised 38% of control group. The mean age was 41.05±11.1 and 37.26±11.24 for chemical victime group and general sample population respectively. The results showed a decline in quality of Iife scores of chemical victims in comparison to the general poplation sample (p=0.00001). There were significant correlations between the life scores and occupation or education. A significant negative correlation was also found between the severity of disability and quality of life scores (p=0.0001). Conclusion: Late adverse effects of chemical weapons can cause some limitations in physical, psychological and social aspects of oneʹs life and diminish the quality of life.