Quality of Life in Children with Functional Constipation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Gastroenterology
• Child Health Outcomes
• Quality of Life Research

Background:

• Functional constipation is a prevalent condition in childhood.
• Understanding its impact on children's well-being is crucial for effective management.
• Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a key indicator of a child's overall health status.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review existing literature on HRQoL in children with functional constipation.
• To identify factors associated with diminished HRQoL in this pediatric population.
• To synthesize current evidence through meta-analysis.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO databases.
• Inclusion of prospective studies assessing HRQoL in children meeting Rome criteria for functional constipation.
• Exclusion of studies with organic causes or focusing solely on post-intervention HRQoL; meta-analysis performed on pooled data.

Main Results:

• 20 studies involving 2344 children were included; 9 studies (45%) had poor evidence quality.
• Pooled HRQoL scores were significantly lower in children with functional constipation compared to healthy peers (65.6 vs 86.1).
• Self-report and parent proxy reports showed similar HRQoL scores; hospital-based studies reported lower scores than community-based studies.

Conclusions:

• Functional constipation significantly compromises the health-related quality of life in children.
• The findings underscore the need for interventions that address the holistic well-being of children with functional constipation.
• Further research with higher quality evidence is warranted to explore HRQoL determinants.