Quality of life and associated factors among patients with cystic echinococcosis treated at referral hospitals in Northwestern Ethiopia

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a chronic neglected zoonotic disease that can substantially affect the physical, psychological, and social well-being of affected individuals. Despite its considerable burden, evidence on quality of life (QoL) among previously treated CE patients remains limited, particularly in resource-limited settings. This study assessed QoL and associated factors among CE patients identified from hospital records at selected referral hospitals in northwestern Ethiopia using the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2025 to January 2026 among 72 participants who had received treatment for CE in three referral hospitals in northwestern, Ethiopia. Participants were recruited consecutively during the study period. QoL was assessed across four domains: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environmental health. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha. Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to examine relationships among QoL domains and identify factors associated with domain-specific QoL. QoL was relatively low across all domains of the WHOQOL-BREF. The environmental domain (mean score: 35.0 ± 10.7) and the physical domain (mean score: 37.6 ± 11.3) recorded the lowest mean scores, followed by the psychological domain (mean score: 40.7 ± 13.7). In contrast, the social relationships domain achieved the highest mean score (63.7 ± 15.5). The WHOQOL-BREF demonstrated high internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.897 to 0.956. Furthermore, older age was found to be independently associated with lower QoL in the physical and environmental domains, while being male was linked to higher QoL across several domains. Non-surgical treatment, longer time since treatment, and single-cyst involvement were associated with better QoL in specific domains. Participants who had treated for CE reported relatively low QoL, particularly in the physical and environmental domains. These findings highlight the importance of integrating QoL assessment into routine clinical care and support the need for larger longitudinal studies to better understand changes in quality of life over time.