Childhood bronchial asthma and quality of life

ABSTRACT

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, which restricts their physical, emotional, and social aspects of life. In North African countries including Egypt, asthma has a major negative impact on the daily activities of asthmatic children. It is approved that the assessment of quality of life [QOL] of asthmatic children is important for enhancing communication between health care providers and patient and it helps in monitoring of treatment. In developing countries, there are not enough data regarding the issue of quality of life especially among asthmatic children. A case control study design, was used to investigate the quality of life among asthmatic children compared to non-asthmatic children at Mansoura city, Dakahlia, Egypt. The study included a total number of 392 children [196 children for each study and control group] who were interviewed at the outpatient clinic of Mansoura Chest Hospital. Socioeconomic level of the children's family was determined based on the scoring system of Fahmy and El- Sherbini. A 5-point likert scale was developed according to the World Health Organization "Measurement of Quality of life in children". The study findings revealed a significant poor level of quality of life in relation to physical domain among the asthmatic children compared to non-asthmatic children. Severity of asthma showed a negative significant correlation with the level of quality of life in relation to the three domains. In conclusion, suffering from bronchial asthma negatively affects the children's quality of life, therefore there is a need special attention to provide information about measures to reduce daily activities restrictions