Assessing Health-Related Quality of Life in Children With Spina Bifida in Lithuania

Introduction In recent years, more emphasis has been placed on improving the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children with spina bifida (SB). Chronic disability is understood to impact various aspects of the person's life, family, and social functioning, in addition to the specific needs of the disease. The HRQOL is done to assess the patient's quality of life (QOL) in various domains including physical and mental. Back in the 1900s, few children survived SB, whereas today, they almost have normal life expectancy. By understanding the contributing factors to the quality of life (QOL), more targeted interventions can be put in place in order to maximize the psychological and social well-being of these patients. Aim The aim of this study is to estimate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in Lithuanian children with spina bifida (SB) in relation to comorbidities, level of lesions, and mobility. Objectives The objectives of this study are to investigate the HRQOL of Lithuanian children with SB born between 1999 and 2012; to analyze the relation between the HRQOL and its comorbidities, including hydrocephalus, Chiari II malformation, incontinence, and epilepsy; and to determine the relationship of health variables, the level of lesions, and mobility to the HRQOL. Methods This was a quantitative cross-sectional study on children with spina bifida across Lithuania to assess the HRQOL. Subjects were chosen and interviewed from various cities including Kaunas, Vilnius, Marijampolė, Gargždai, Biržai, Panevėžys, Palanga, and Alytus. A questionnaire was used as an instrument to measure the HRQOL. The level of lesions, comorbidities, and other health variables were obtained from the medical files and directly from the patient's history. Results Regarding the HRQOL, our study population showed the highest scores in the emotional, medical, intellectual, and social domains. The lowest sub-scores were in recreational, vocational, environmental, and then physical domains. We also found that certain comorbidities including hydrocephalus, epilepsy, and incontinence negatively affected the QOL. In our study group, we also found that the ambulatory group scored significantly higher in the overall QOL. However, when comparing the level of lesions to the HRQOL, we found no statistically significant difference. Conclusion Positive results were obtained regarding the medical, emotional, intellectual, and social aspects of patients with SB in Lithuania as they scored high in this domain. However, the environmental and vocational domains scored low, suggesting that further examination needs to be carried in these domains. We concluded that having various comorbidities including hydrocephalus and incontinence has negative impacts on the QOL. Patients who suffered from epilepsy had a statistically significant lower QOL. No significant difference was found in the association between the level of lesion and the QOL in our study.