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Self-assessed physical health among children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia
Elin Öst1,2, Maria Öjmyr Joelsson3,4, Carmen Mesas Burgos3,4
1Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden. elin.ost@ki.se.
Insights
Children born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) report increased physical health issues like asthma and scoliosis. While most feel healthy overall, symptoms worsen with hernia severity.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Longitudinal Health Outcomes
- Congenital Malformations
Background:
- Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a serious birth defect impacting lung development and survival.
- Long-term follow-up is crucial to understand the lifelong health implications for CDH survivors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the current self-perceived physical health of adults born with CDH.
- To identify specific health challenges faced by this cohort.
- To correlate health outcomes with initial treatment severity.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 195 children treated for CDH between 1990-2009 was studied.
- Medical records were supplemented with a questionnaire on perceived physical function.
- Patients were grouped by intubation time and need for ECMO.
Main Results:
- CDH survivors reported higher rates of asthma, developmental delay, seizures, vision problems, and scoliosis compared to peers.
- Participants experienced reduced strength and increased breathlessness.
- Gastroesophageal reflux and abdominal pain were also commonly reported.
Conclusions:
- Most CDH survivors perceive their overall physical health positively.
- However, symptom prevalence and severity increase with the initial severity of the CDH malformation.
Purpose:
The aim of this long-term follow-up study was to investigate the current self assessed physical health in a CDH birth cohort at a single center.
Methods:
Between 1990 and 2009, 195 children born with CDH were treated at Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital. The primary survival rate was 85 %, and in 2010, 78 % were still alive. Data from medical records were supplemented by a questionnaire consisting of questions about perceived physical function. Patients were divided into groups according to time for intubation and need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
Results:
Children born with CDH reported themselves to be having greater problems with asthma, developmental delay, seizure disorder, poor vision, and scoliosis in comparison with normal Swedish children. They also described a sense of having less strength and becoming breathless more often than healthy friends. Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux and abdominal pain were also reported.
Conclusions:
The majority of the children perceived their physical health as being overall good, but there was an increase of reported symptoms correlating with the severity of the malformation.
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