Evaluation of health-related quality of life and affecting factors in child with enuresis

Abstract

Enuresis is a common problem in children and distressing condition that can have an impact on the child's behavior and on their emotional and social life. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is defined as an individual's perception of the impact of the disease and treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the HRQoL in Turkish children with enuresis and to investigate the effect of independent sociodemographic and clinical variables on HRQoL in children with enuresis. 110 children with enuresis and their mothers and 120 healthy children and their mothers were included in the study. The German quality of life questionnaire (KINDL®) scales were used to assess the children's HRQoL. For comparing the data of children with enuresis and healthy children, a two-sided unpaired t-test and linear regression model were used. The total HRQoL score for the children with enuresis group was 63.14±21.98 and for the children in the control group was 75.6±10.1 (P<0.001). After adjusting for sex and age using the unstandardized coefficient of regression model, HRQoL score for the children with enuresis still remained statistically significant lower than that for healthy peers (64.21± vs 75.11± P<0.001). The HRQoL subscale scores showed that children with enuresis had lower emotional well-being scores (64.23±14.2 vs 78.9±11.4, P<0.001), self-esteem score (62.23±11 vs 68.6±17.4, P=0.001), family relationship score (76.23±2 vs 83.4±12.2, P=0.042), and friendship score (62.4±13.2 vs 68.8±15.3, P=0.023) compared to the control group. When the effects of independent sociodemographic factors and clinical variables on HRQoL were evaluated, it was seen that the presence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) negatively affected total HRQoL score (59.89±11.2 vs 69.29±10.9 P=0.028). Also the total HRQoL score was higher in treated children with enuresis than in nontreated children (65.96±12.1 vs 55.27±10.1 P=0.032). Among the treated children, complete treatment response group had higher total HRQoL score compared to partial treatment response group and nonresponse group (respectively, 70.98±9.7, 65.25±10.1, 60.45±10.9, P=0.034, P=0.01) (Summary Figure). Family income level affected total HRQoL score, low-income group had lower total HRQoL score compared to high-income group (62.17±11.9 vs 69.25±10 P=0.039). This study demonstrated that enuresis negatively affects the HRQoL of children and most affected domains in HRQoL were self-esteem, emotional well-being, and their relationship for family and friends. Our presented study showed that HRQoL was lower in non-primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (non-PMNE) children, nontreated patients. Also there were higher HRQoL scores in patients who had a total or partial response to treatment. Our study may indicate that, low-income children with enuresis, nontreated enuretic children, and presence of LUTS should be considered as a risk group for low HRQoL.