An Evaluation of Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Nasal Septum Deviation

Background: From the 1950s, the quality of life criterion came to be studied in earnest, originally forming a part of measurement of human development in Western Europe and the USA. The present study aims to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQL) between children with nasal septum deviation and healthy children controls. Materials and Methods: Subjects were children suffering from nasal septum deviation, one of the commonest chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Controls were randomly recruited from kindergarten, primary and secondary schools (junior high school & high school). All schools and subjects were randomly selected. The CHQ-PF50 questionnaire was used and outcome scores were calculated by an algorithm for the 13 tested HRQL variables. Results: Means for all outcome scores in the test subjects (i.e., children with deviated nasal septums) varied between 3.65–89.27 with a standard deviation between 0.83–25.66 and a median between 3.4–100 (n = 101). Those for the controls (n = 102) were 3.78–97.11, 0.86–14.21 and 4.40–100, respectively. Test subjects showed significant scoring declines in Physical Fitness, Role/Social–Emotional/Behavioral, Role/Social–Physical, Mental Health, Self-esteem, General Health Perceptions, Parental Impact Emotional and Time and Family Limitations in Activities. Conclusions: 1. The well-being of children with nasal septum deviation was found to be chiefly limited by their physical fitness, effects of physical condition on social behavior/interaction and how health is perceived. 2. Parents considered their children’s health to be paramount, as demonstrated by assessing the HRQL

Health-Related Quality of Life Assessed in Children with Adenoid Hypertrophy

Introduction: The quality of life issue began to be earnestly studied in the second half of the 20th century. It had originally been used as a criterion for measuring levels of human development in the USA and Western Europe. At first, only objective parameters were assessed, such as material goods; however, later, subjective and non-material parameters were added, such as health, freedom, and happiness. Over time, more and more attention has been paid to the subjective parameters regarding any quality of life assessment. Adenoids are physiological clusters of lymphoid tissue included in Waldeyer’s ring, which play an important role in shaping and directing the child’s local and systemic lines of defence. Adenoid hypertrophy occurs due to a variety of factors, such as recurring or chronic infections of the upper respiratory tract. Study aim: To assess health status in children with adenoid system hypertrophy compared with a group of healthy children. Materials and methods: The study group consisted of children suffering from adenoid hypertrophy, this being the most common chronic disease of the upper respiratory tract. The control group was composed of children attending nursery school (kindergarten), primary school, middle school, and high school. The study was performed by using the Child Health Questionnaire—Parent Form 50 CHQ-PF-50 (CHQ-PF50), which is a general purpose research tool based on psychometric testing when assessing physical and mental well-being in children aged 5 to 18 years. Results: There were 101 filled out questionnaires for the test group (54 girls and 47 boys), mean age 8.62 years (ranging 5–17), whilst 102 questionnaires for the controls (50 girls and 52 boys), mean age 10.58 years (ranging 5–18). Insignificant differences were found between social functioning resulting from behaviour or emotional state (REB), pain and discomfort (BP), and family cohesion (FC). Conclusions: Children suffering from adenoid hypertrophy demonstrate the largest decreases in wellbeing in the following areas: behaviour, general perception of health, and mental health

Health-Related Quality of Life Assessed in Children with Chronic Rhinitis and Sinusitis

Introduction: Quality of life (QoL) can be simply defined as an area of human life that directly affects people which they consider to be important. This can be defined in greater detail as ‘an individual perception of an individual’s life position within a cultural context, value system and in relation to their tasks, expectations and standards determined by environmental conditions’. The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) more specifically focuses on how the QoL affects health (including both medical and non-medical issues). Limitations in well-being will, by association, also occur in those children suffering with sinus diseases. Study aim: To compare the quality of life in children–adolescents suffering from some of the most commonly occurring childhood diseases of chronic rhinitis and sinusitis on a group of healthy children–adolescents. Test materials and methods: Subjects were children–adolescents with at least one of the aforementioned conditions afflicting the upper respiratory tract. Admission criteria were: ages 5 to 18 years in the presence of a chronic disease such as chronic rhinitis and paranasal sinusitis. The Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form 50 CHQ-PF-50 (CHQ-PF50) was used, which is a general-purpose research instrument based on psychometric testing designed for assessing physical and mental well-being in children–adolescents aged 5 to 18 years. Results: Wellbeing significantly deteriorated in sick children within the following areas: current health status of the child (STAND), physical fitness (PF), social functioning resulting from behaviour or emotional state (REB), the impact of physical health on limitations in social functioning (RP), pain and discomfort (BP), behaviour (BE), mental health (MH), self-esteem (SE), general health perception (GH), influence of the child’s health condition on parental emotions (PE), limitations on parental leisure time due to the child’s health (PT) and restrictions on joint family activities (FA). Conclusions: The greatest impairment to well-being in children with chronic rhinitis and paranasal sinusitis was on the impact of the child’s health status on parents’ emotions, pain and discomfort and general perception of health. This study confirms that parents of healthy children attach great importance to their health and health-related quality of life

Adenoid hypertrophy in children: a narrative review of pathogenesis and clinical relevance

Adenoids (nasopharyngeal tonsils), being part of Waldeyer’s ring, are masses of lymphoid tissues located at the junction of the roof and the posterior wall of the nasopharynx. Adenoids play an important role in the development of the immune system and serve as a defence against infections, being the first organs that come into contact with respiratory and digestive antigens. The causes of adenoid hypertrophy are not fully known. They are most likely associated with aberrant immune reactions, infections, environmental exposures and hormonal or genetic factors. The aim of this review is to summarise the current knowledge of adenoid hypertrophy in children and associated diseases. Adenoid hypertrophy has many clinical manifestations that are frequent in the paediatric population and is accompanied by various comorbidities

An Evaluation of Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Nasal Septum Deviation

Background: From the 1950s, the quality of life criterion came to be studied in earnest, originally forming a part of measurement of human development in Western Europe and the USA. The present study aims to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQL) between children with nasal septum deviation and healthy children controls. Materials and Methods: Subjects were children suffering from nasal septum deviation, one of the commonest chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Controls were randomly recruited from kindergarten, primary and secondary schools (junior high school & high school). All schools and subjects were randomly selected. The CHQ-PF50 questionnaire was used and outcome scores were calculated by an algorithm for the 13 tested HRQL variables. Results: Means for all outcome scores in the test subjects (i.e., children with deviated nasal septums) varied between 3.65–89.27 with a standard deviation between 0.83–25.66 and a median between 3.4–100 (n = 101). Those for the controls (n = 102) were 3.78–97.11, 0.86–14.21 and 4.40–100, respectively. Test subjects showed significant scoring declines in Physical Fitness, Role/Social–Emotional/Behavioral, Role/Social–Physical, Mental Health, Self-esteem, General Health Perceptions, Parental Impact Emotional and Time and Family Limitations in Activities. Conclusions: 1. The well-being of children with nasal septum deviation was found to be chiefly limited by their physical fitness, effects of physical condition on social behavior/interaction and how health is perceived. 2. Parents considered their children’s health to be paramount, as demonstrated by assessing the HRQL