Baseline Quality of Life in Pediatric Patients With Low-flow Vascular Malformations

Area of Science:

• Vascular Anomalies
• Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL)
• Pediatric Health

Background:

• Low-flow vascular malformations (LFVMs) are congenital conditions affecting blood vessels.
• Understanding the impact of LFVMs on patients' lives is crucial for effective management.
• Baseline health-related quality of life (HRQoL) data is needed for this patient population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify and describe baseline HRQoL in pediatric patients with LFVMs.
• To compare HRQoL scores between different types of LFVMs and anatomical locations.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 266 patients aged 2-25 with LFVMs.
• Data collected at a single, tertiary-care vascular anomalies clinic.
• Analysis of patient and parent-proxy HRQoL scores.

Main Results:

• Lymphatic malformations (LMs) were associated with lower HRQoL in emotional, psychological, school, and social domains compared to venous malformations (VMs).
• Lower extremity malformations resulted in decreased HRQoL, especially in the physical domain, compared to other locations (head/neck, trunk, upper extremity, multifocal).
• Quantified baseline HRQoL scores provide a benchmark for future treatment outcome assessments.

Conclusions:

• Treatment strategies for LFVMs should prioritize improving patient HRQoL.
• Standardized HRQoL measures are valuable for assessing the patient experience with LFVMs.
• This study quantifies baseline HRQoL, informing targeted interventions for affected individuals.