Aim The study aimed to assess quality of life (QoL) in patients with a sigmoid colostomy using a simple general and disease-specific instrument. A subgroup not doing well was identified and examined further. Method The Short Health Scale (SHS) is a four-item instrument exploring severity of symptoms, function in daily life, worry, and general well-being, using visual analogue scales ranging from 0 to 100 where 100 is the worst possible situation. The SHS was delivered to 206 patients with a sigmoid colostomy. It was returned by 181 (87.9%) patients [88 men; median age 73 (3391) years]. Follow-up was 61 (10484) months for 178 (86.4%) patients returning usable questionnaires. A subgroup of 16 patients scoring more than 50 in all four items of the SHS was further examined with StomaQOL where 100 is best possible. Results The median score for severity of symptoms was 18 (295), function in daily life 21 (095), worry 17 (398) and general well-being 22 (099). A score of andlt; 50 in the SHS was recorded in 84.9%, 82.1%, 79.9% and 70.5% respectively. In the group scoring more than 50 in all four items patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome constituted 43.8% to compare with 5.6% in the entire study group (P andlt; 0.001). Median score for StomaQOL was 37 (2262) in this group. Conclusion Most patients with a permanent sigmoid colostomy have a good QoL consistent with previous findings. However, this is reduced in a subgroup of patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome.