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Article Type

Article

Subject Area

Family Medicine

Abstract

Background and objectives Chronic kidney diseases (CKD) have multiple complications that could impair the quality of life in the affected children and their families. This study aimed to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and detect factors affecting it in children with CKD and their families at Sohag, Egypt. Patients and methods The study included 113 children and adolescents with CKD stages 1–5, aged 2–18 years old, attending the pediatric nephrology outpatient clinic and the pediatric dialysis unit at Sohag University Hospital. Two hundred twenty-six children were in the control-group age and sex matched to cases with urinary-system condition but with minor and transient ailments, for example, common cold, diarrhea, etc. The PedsQL version 4.0 Measurement Model was used to assess HRQOL for the study participants and their parents. Results Children with CKD and their parents had significantly lower mean scores for different domains of HRQOL (P < 0.0001). Multivariate regression analysis of factors associated with HRQOL revealed that hemoglobin concentration was the most significant variable associated with self-reported HRQOL total health scores (B = 4.0, confidence interval: 2.5; 5.5, P < 0.0001) followed by the presence of associated chronic illnesses and the female sex. The disease stage was the most significant variable (B=−4.5, confidence interval: −6.2; −2.8, P < 0.0001) associated with parent-reported HRQOL total health scores. Conclusion CKD impaired the HRQOL for the affected children and their families. Detection of CKD at early stages of the illness, improving hemoglobin concentration in the affected children, and preventing comorbid illnesses might improve the HRQOL for those children and their parents.

Keywords

Children and adolescents, chronic kidney diseases, health-related quality of life

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