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Generic Health-Related Quality of Life of Children With Severe Peanut or Tree Nut Allergy
Lasse Saarimäki1,2, Juho E Kivistö2,3,4, Iida Ojaniemi3
1Department of Paediatrics, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
Insights
Children with suspected severe nut allergies reported good quality of life. However, parents experienced increased distress, highlighting the need for enhanced parental support and counseling in managing food allergies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
- Quality of Life Research
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Food allergies significantly impact patients' and families' well-being.
- Assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is crucial for understanding the comprehensive burden of food allergies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Finnish children diagnosed with or at risk of severe peanut or tree nut allergies.
- To assess the impact of severe nut allergies on the quality of life of parents of affected children.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 101 children (aged 3-15 years) and their parents were enrolled at Tampere University Hospital.
- Eligibility criteria included a history of anaphylaxis or positive molecular immunology testing for severe nut allergy.
- Health-related quality of life was measured using validated generic questionnaires (15D, 16D, 17D) and compared to age-matched population references.
Main Results:
- Children aged 3-11 years demonstrated a significantly higher mean HRQoL score (0.959) compared to reference populations (p < 0.01).
- Teenagers (12-15 years) and parents reported HRQoL scores comparable to general population references.
- Parental distress was borderline statistically worse than in the reference group (0.890 vs. 0.932, p = 0.013).
Conclusions:
- Children at risk of severe nut allergies exhibit a comparable health-related quality of life to their peers.
- Parents of children with suspected severe nut allergies experience elevated distress levels.
- Increased focus on parental counseling and support is recommended for families managing severe food allergies.
Aim:
Food allergies may decrease health-related quality of life. We assessed health-related quality of life in Finnish children at risk of a severe peanut or tree nut allergy and their parents.
Methods:
Study included children aged 3-15 years referred to Tampere University Hospital for suspected severe nut allergy. Eligibility criteria included a history of anaphylaxis and/or molecular immunology testing referring for severe peanut and/or tree nut allergy. Health-related quality of life was assessed with generic questionnaires 15D for adults, 16D for teenagers or 17D for children, with scores compared with age group-matched population references.
Results:
A total of 101 children (mean age 7.7 ± 2.9 years) and parent pairs were enrolled. The mean 16D score for 11 teenagers aged 12-15 years and mean 15D score for 101 parents was similar to reference populations; parental distress was borderline statistically worse (0.890 vs. 0.932, p = 0.013). The mean 17D score for 90 children aged 3-11 years was significantly higher (0.959 vs. 0.938) than in references (p < 0.01).
Conclusion:
Children with a suspected severe peanut or tree nut allergy had a comparable health-related quality of life to the reference population. Distress among their parents seemed to be increased, warranting more focus on parental counselling.
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