Health-Related Quality of Life in Children And Adolescents With Functional Urinary Incontinence: a Cross-Sectional Evaluation Using the Dcgm-10 Questionnaire

Abstract

Purpose Over recent years, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has gained in interest as an outcome measure in pediatrics. To date, there is only very limited data concerning the impact of urinary incontinence on children's and adolescents' HRQOL. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate patients' HRQOL and to determine potential influencing factors. Additionally, HRQOL results from our sample were compared to HRQOL in other chronic childhood health conditions. Material and Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in three tertiary referral centres for childhood urinary incontinence. From July 2007 to April 2008, we consecutively evaluated 103 children (65 male, 38 female, mean age 9.3 [SD 2.2, range 5-18] years) and their parents. 12 patients suffered from monosymptomatic enuresis, 79 patients suffered from non-monosymptomatic enuresis and 12 patients showed isolated daytime symptoms. To evaluate the participants, we used the self-report and the proxy version of the 10-item DISABKIDS chronic generic measure (DCGM-10), a HRQOL questionnaire with cross-cultural validity. Results Mean DCGM-10 total scores were 43.2 (self-report version) and 42.8 (proxy version), showing a significant correlation (r = 0.628). Age, sex, type of incontinence or severity of incontinence did not significantly influence DCGM-10 total scores (all p > 0.05). Compared to DCGM-10 results for a reference sample of children with chronic health conditions, the average scores of our sample did not differ significantly from those of pediatric patients with asthma, arthritis, atopic dermatitis, cystic fibrosis, diabetes or epilepsy (self-report version) and asthma, atopic dermatitis, cystic fibrosis or epilepsy (proxy version), respectively. Conclusions Health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with urinary incontinence is impaired, comparable with HRQOL in pediatric patients with e.g. asthma or epilepsy.