Comparison of the quality of life before and after treatment of eczema in infants with or without food allergies / 临床儿科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore life quality of infants with eczema and their families before and after treatment. Methods The infants with eczema were divided into food allergic group (FA group,n=46) and non-food allergic group (N-FA group,n=47). The eczema was evaluated by the areas of eczema and severity index (EASI). After 2 months of standardized intervention, the quality of life before and after treatment were assessed by the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire-Parent Form (FAQLQ-PF) and the Infant’s Dermatitis Quality of Life Index (IDQOL).Results There was no difference between the two groups in age, gender, family history of allergy and feeding patterns (allP?>?0.05). In FA group, there were 34 cases (73.91%) of egg allergy, 20 cases (43.48%) of milk allergy and 2 cases (4.35%) of carrot allergy. After the intervention, the scores of EASI, FAQLQ, and IDQOL were decreased obviously in the two groups, and there were statistical difference before and after treatment (P all?0.05); After two months of intervention, the total score of FAQLQ in FA group was higher than that in N-FA group (Z =2.83,P=0.005); the subscales of emotional impact, anxiety about food, and social/dietary restrictions were also signiifcantly different between FA group and N-FA group (Z=?2.13-2.89, allP< 0.05). Conclusions Parents of infants with food allergies are more likely to worry about infant's emotional changes and social, dietary restrictions. FAQLQ-PF is more speciifc for assessing the quality of life in food allergies.