Pediatric Bronchiectasis Quality-of-Life Questionnaire-What Does the Literature Say?

Bronchiectasis in children is a neglected chronic suppurative lung disease that imposes a substantial burden on children and adolescents and their families, adversely affecting quality of life (QoL). Incorporating health-related quality of life (HRQoL) tools into routine care can improve outcomes by highlighting disease burden and guiding tailored interventions. This scoping review aimed to identify self-reported questionnaires assessing QoL in pediatric bronchiectasis (PB).

Following the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews, we searched Embase, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycINFO, and PubMed for articles published in English since 2000. Pre-specified keywords (QoL, children, adolescents, bronchiectasis, lung disease, patient reported outcome measures (PROM), primary ciliary dyskinesia, cystic fibrosis) and related index terms were used. Studies employing questionnaires or items assessing QoL in children and adolescents with bronchiectasis were included without geographical restrictions. Two authors independently screened and appraised eligible manuscripts.

The search yielded 731 articles, of which 373 were relevant to respiratory diseases. Thirty-three met inclusion criteria, identifying 15 unique HRQoL tools used in bronchiectasis or related conditions. Only five (33%) of these tools were developed for adults with bronchiectasis and no pediatric-specific bronchiectasis HRQoL questionnaires were identified.

This scoping review highlights the absence of any validated, pediatric-specific HRQoL tools for bronchiectasis. Developing such a questionnaire, informed by existing instruments and our review findings, is an urgent priority. A validated tool will enhance understanding of disease impact on children, adolescents and their families, supporting tailored clinical care and research interventions.