La malattia cronica e la Qualità di vita.

The term quality of life has become almost commonplace in everyday language to define aspects and dimensions of people’s existence, taking different meanings and connotations on different occasions. This is particularly the case in the context of a chronic disease such as diabetes. Quality of life cannot be looked at as a physical object, or conceived as a questionnaire. Rather, it is a changing dimension, continuously taking different connotations and meanings in the same person. Hence, to properly measure and detect the different shades of quality of life means to think and build tools to reliably understand and ascertain the people’s wishes in the light of their personal peculiarities. Within such framework, the literature about quality of life in type 1 and type 2 diabetes should be reconsidered, if one is to help patients improve their life conditions and hopes for the future.