QOL Assessment in Children With Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Jun 17, 2024

A prospective cohort study explored the differences between parent and children’s perceptions of their quality of life with a new eosinophilic esophagitis diagnosis.

A difference in perceptions between parents and children was demonstrated from a prospective cohort study into the QOL of children with a new eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) diagnosis.

The longitudinal cohort study presented by Émile L’Heureux-Hubert involved 63 new EoE cases, including patients aged 5 to 18 years.¹ The participants and their parents completed the Pediatric QOL Inventory (PedsQL) questionnaire on the day of their endoscopy. Different PedsQL versions were administered according to age groups: babies (0 to 4 years), kids (5 to 7 years), youths (8 to 12 years), and teenagers (13 to 18 years). The study assessed the total QOL score based on age at diagnosis, comparing self-reported scores with parent-proxy reports using Wilcoxon tests.

The study’s primary endpoints were the total QOL scores, analyzed by age at diagnosis and compared between self-reports and parent-proxy reports.

The study included 71% males with a median age of 13 years. The median PedsQL scores were similar between self-reports (84.8) and parent-proxy reports (84.5). Both parents and children reported higher scores in physical health and social dimensions, and lower scores in emotional and school dimensions. Teenagers had significantly higher psychosocial scores compared with younger children (P=0.03). In the social dimension, teenagers scored a median of 100, significantly higher than babies (90, P=0.04), kids (80, P=0.006), and youths (92.5, P=0.04). These differences were noted only in the parent evaluations. Self-reported scores were similar across age groups.

The study reveals a different perception of QOL between parents and children, with teenagers generally reporting higher QOL, particularly in the social dimension. These findings underscore the importance of considering both child and parent perspectives in QOL assessments.

Medical writing support was provided by Federica Angius.