BACKGROUND: The course and prognosis of Crohn disease has previously been described in a regional group of patients in Copenhagen County. The aim of the present study was to reveal the quality of life. as judged by the patients, and compared to age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

METHODS: Out of 100 consecutive out-patients with Crohn disease, 94 patients accepted to participate together with 94 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. A modified McMaster Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ23) was used, excluding bowel-related questions. Medical students conducted interviews without knowing who were Crohn disease patients and who were controls. The bowel-related questions and Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) were assessed by gastroenterologists at inclusion in the study. Responses were indicated on a seven-point scale (7 best/1 worst). Mean numeric score was calculated as well as a delta score, i.e. the difference in score between a patient and the matched control.

RESULTS: In 21 of 23 questions the median delta score was zero, indicating no difference between patient and control. The median total delta score was 0.4 in favour of healthy controls (P < 0.001), and significantly higher in patients in relapse, 0.9, than in patients in remission, 0.3 (P < 0.01). The median total numeric score was 5.7 for patients and 6.1 for controls.

CONCLUSIONS: Although patients with Crohn disease scored significantly lower on the quality of life scale than matched healthy controls, the differences were smaller than could be expected, taking the chronic disease into consideration. Disease activity correlated with the quality of life score.