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Health-related quality of life in children with achalasia

Matko Marlais1, Julia R Fishman, John Me Fell

  • 1Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK. mm1305@ic.ac.uk

Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
|October 27, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Children with achalasia report lower quality of life (QoL) than healthy children and those with inflammatory bowel disease. This study assessed QoL in pediatric achalasia patients compared to controls.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric gastroenterology
  • Quality of Life research
  • Chronic childhood illness

Background:

  • Achalasia is a rare esophageal motility disorder affecting children.
  • Quality of life (QoL) is a crucial outcome measure in pediatric chronic conditions.
  • Limited data exists on QoL in pediatric achalasia patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate self-reported QoL in children aged 5-18 with achalasia.
  • To compare QoL in achalasia patients with disease-matched (IBD, constipation) and healthy controls.
  • To identify specific QoL domains affected by achalasia in children.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective study involving children diagnosed with achalasia.
  • Utilized the validated Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™) generic QoL assessment.
  • Compared achalasia patients (n=17) with children suffering from IBD (n=59), chronic constipation (n=44), and healthy controls (n=41).

Main Results:

  • Children with achalasia reported significantly lower QoL (73/100) compared to healthy children (84/100, p=0.005) and those with IBD (82/100, p=0.035).
  • QoL in achalasia patients was comparable to children with chronic constipation (74/100, p=0.99).
  • The PedsQL™ assessed physical, emotional, social, and school domains.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric achalasia is associated with a significantly diminished quality of life.
  • QoL in achalasia is comparable to other chronic gastrointestinal conditions like constipation.
  • Further research should explore interventions to improve QoL in children with achalasia.
Abstract

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