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Health‐related quality of life in preschool children with Type 1 diabetes
Author(s) -
Sundberg F.,
Sand P.,
Forsander G.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
diabetic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.474
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1464-5491
pISSN - 0742-3071
DOI - 10.1111/dme.12557
Subject(s) - medicine , type 1 diabetes , quality of life (healthcare) , diabetes mellitus , type 2 diabetes , population , pediatrics , gerontology , environmental health , endocrinology , nursing
Aims To describe health‐related quality of life in children aged < 7 years with Type 1 diabetes mellitus compared with healthy children of the same age, and to investigate how health‐related quality of life was correlated with aspects of insulin treatment and glycaemic control. Methods The participants in this study were 24 children with diabetes (12 girls, mean age 4.5 years) and 27 healthy children (14 girls, mean age 4.6 years). All participants completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 Generic Core Scales and the participants with diabetes also completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 3.0 Type 1 Diabetes Module Scales. HbA 1c levels were measured in children with diabetes and the plasma glucose meter memories were uploaded. Results Children aged <7 years with diabetes had lower parent‐rated generic health‐related quality of life compared with healthy children (score: 80 vs 91; P = 0.003). The difference was largest in children aged < 5 years (score: 79 vs 93; P = 0.004). Among the parents of children with Type 1 diabetes, 22% rated their child's generic health‐related quality of life to be at a level of concern (– 1 sd of a general population). Of the children with Type 1 diabetes aged between 5 and 7 years, 40% rated their own generic health‐related quality of life at the same level of concern. Conclusion This study shows a significantly lower level of generic health‐related quality of life in very young children with diabetes in comparison with healthy children. We suggest screening for health‐related quality of life in children of all ages with Type 1 diabetes mellitus.