Higher Income and Integration into the Workforce Are the Main Factors Associated with Quality of Life in Acromegalic Patients in Northeastern Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To identify the factors associated with quality of life in patients with acromegaly with follow-up at the referral service in neuroendocrinology of the state of Maranhão, northeast Brazil. METHODS: The Acromegaly Quality of Life Questionnaire (Acro-QoL) was used. Factors independently associated with quality of life were identified using multivariate linear regression, with p values < 0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: The multivariate linear regression analysis indicated a positive association between being integrated into the job market and quality of life scores in the overall domain (β = 0.288, p = 0.003), psychological domain (β = 0.291, p = 0.032), and personal relationship domain (β = 0.314, p = 0.019). We also observed a positive association with income and the quality of life scores in all domains as follows: overall domain (β = 0.037, p = 0.003), physical domain (β = 0.988, p = 0.001), psychological domain (β = 0.342, p = 0.008), physical appearance domain (β = 0.270, p = 0.049), and personal relationship domain (β = 0.315, p = 0.012). CONCLUSION: For patients with acromegaly living in one of the least developed regions of Brazil, integration into the job market and a higher income were associated with a better quality of life.