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Chronic childhood constipation is associated with impaired quality of life: a case-controlled study
Nader N Youssef1, Annette L Langseder, Barbara J Verga
1Center for Pediatric Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders, Goryeb Children's Hospital, Atlantic Health System Morristown, New Jersey 07962, USA. nader.youssef@ahsys.org
Insights
Children with chronic constipation experience significantly lower quality of life compared to healthy peers and those with other gastrointestinal conditions. This impacts physical abilities and parental well-being, highlighting the need for comprehensive care.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Quality of Life Research
- Child Health Outcomes
Background:
- Chronic constipation is a prevalent issue in pediatric populations.
- Assessing the impact of chronic conditions on children's overall well-being is crucial for effective management.
- Limited research exists on the quality of life implications for children with chronic constipation compared to other gastrointestinal disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children diagnosed with chronic constipation.
- To evaluate HRQoL in children with constipation against control groups including those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and healthy children.
- To explore the correlation between symptom duration and perceived quality of life in pediatric constipation.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 224 children and their parents evaluated using a validated health-related quality of life tool.
- Comparison of quality of life scores between children with constipation (n=80) and three control groups: IBD (n=42), GERD (n=56), and healthy children (n=46).
- Analysis included self-reported scores from children and parent-reported scores, alongside symptom duration data.
Main Results:
- Children with constipation reported significantly lower quality of life scores (70) compared to IBD (84), GERD (80), and healthy children (88).
- Physical functioning scores were also lower in children with constipation across all comparisons.
- Parents of children with constipation reported lower quality of life scores (61) than their children (70), with prolonged symptom duration correlating with lower parent-reported scores.
Conclusions:
- Children with chronic constipation exhibit a diminished quality of life at initial assessment, impacting physical function.
- Parental perception of quality of life is influenced by symptom duration and family history.
- Healthcare providers should recognize the significant impact of chronic constipation on pediatric quality of life and parental concerns when developing treatment plans.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of chronic constipation on children's quality of life.
Methods:
From October 2002 to November 2003, 224 children (140 male, 84 female, aged 10.6 +/- 2.9 years) and 224 parents were evaluated by a health related quality of life tool during initial outpatient consultation. Children with constipation (n = 80) were compared with controls with inflammatory bowel disease (n = 42), controls with gastroesophageal reflux disease (n = 56), and with healthy children (n = 46).
Results:
Children with constipation had lower quality of life scores than did those with inflammatory bowel disease (70 versus 84; P < 0.05), gastroesophageal reflux disease (70 versus 80; P < 0.05), and healthy children (70 versus 88; P < 0.05). Children with constipation reported lower physical scores than did inflammatory bowel disease patients (75 versus 85; P < 0.02), gastroesophageal reflux disease patients (75 versus 85; P < 0.05), or healthy children (75 versus 87; P < 0.05). Parents of children with constipation reported lower scores than did their children (61 versus 70; P < 0.05). Children with constipation had longer duration of symptoms than did the controls with inflammatory bowel disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease (43.8 months versus 14.2 months; P < 0.001). Prolonged duration of symptoms for children with constipation correlated with lower parent-reported scores (P < 0.002).
Conclusions:
At initial evaluation, children with constipation have a lower quality of life than do children with inflammatory bowel disease or gastroesophageal reflux disease. Self-reported lower scores may be a reflection of impaired physical ability. Parental perceptions of low quality of life are probably impacted by the duration of their child's symptoms and by family members with similar complaints. Practitioners should be aware of the high level of parental concern and the relatively low self-reported and parent-reported quality of life in children with chronic constipation as they plan therapy.
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