[Considerations in evaluating the quality of life of patients with digestive, liver and bile disorders in Mexico]. / Consideraciones en la evaluación de la calidad de vida de enfermos con afecciones digestivas, hepáticas y biliares en México.

BACKGROUND: In Mexico, there are few reviews of life quality related to health. These reviews do not substitute symptom, analytic and morphologic evaluations by physicians. They only complement them, by introducing the patient;s vision about his perception of his own health. They also intent to reflect the impact of disease on the patient and on his general health. Besides, they also recognize the influence of health on a daily living basis. Objetive: To analyze the nowadays literature existing in Mexico, with regard to the instruments to evaluate the quality of life within patients with gastrointestinal diseases. METHODS: Search of instruments for measuring the status of life related to health in the mexican population in the MEDLINE database, with emphasis on gastrointestinal and hepatobiliar diseases. RESULTS: One hundred references had been found, but only 10 correspond to studies that use different instruments of evaluation of life status related to gastrointestinal diseases in Mexico. Five of these studies are specific questionnaires and five are generic. CONCLUSION: Actually there are few investigations about evaluation of quality of life in Mexican patients, because of the cultural differences within the Hispano-American countries. All of the questionnaires must be evaluated before using them in our population.