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Symptoms and quality of life in obese children and adolescents with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease
Author(s) -
KISTLER K. D.,
MOLLESTON J.,
UNALP A.,
ABRAMS S. H.,
BEHLING C.,
SCHWIMMER J. B.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.308
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1365-2036
pISSN - 0269-2813
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2009.04181.x
Subject(s) - medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , fatty liver , psychosocial , disease , liver biopsy , psychological intervention , obesity , pediatrics , physical therapy , biopsy , psychiatry , nursing
Aliment Pharmacol Ther 31 , 396–406 Summary Background Data on the quality of life (QOL) of children with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are needed to estimate the true burden of illness in children with NAFLD. Aim To characterize QOL and symptoms of children with NAFLD and to compare QOL in children with NAFLD with that in a sample of healthy children. Methods Quality of life and symptoms were assessed in children with biopsy‐proven NAFLD enrolled in the NASH Clinical Research Network. PedsQL scores were compared with scores from healthy children. For children with NAFLD, between‐group comparisons were made to test associations of demography, histological severity, symptoms and QOL. Results A total of 239 children (mean age 12.6 years) were studied. Children with NAFLD had worse total (72.8 vs. 83.8, P < 0.01), physical (77.2 vs. 87.5, P < 0.01) and psychosocial health (70.4 vs. 81.9, P < 0.01) scores compared with healthy children. QOL scores did not significantly differ by histological severity of NAFLD. Fatigue, trouble sleeping and sadness accounted for almost half of the variance in QOL scores. Impaired QOL was present in 39% of children with NAFLD. Conclusions Children with NAFLD have a decrement in QOL. Symptoms were a major determinant of this impairment. Interventions are needed to restore and optimize QOL in children with NAFLD.