Assessment of health-related quality of life in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes - a preliminary study

Abstract

Introduction. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that affects all aspects of life of pediatric patients, especially the psychological aspect, and hence the health-related quality of life. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of sociodemographic and clinical factors of pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus on self-assessment of health-related quality of life. Material and Methods. The research was conducted as a cross-sectional study. The sample included 37 pediatric patients aged 8 to 18 years, who were diagnosed with the type 1 diabetes mellitus six months or longer before enrollment into the study. The research instruments used in the study were the Serbian version of child-friendly EuroQol-5D-Y youth questionnaire and medical history data (gender, age, time since diagnosis - in years, glycosylated hemoglobin values, type of insulin therapy). Results. The total score of general health on the visual analogue scale was 80.54 on average (standard deviation - 20.87). A negative correlation was found between the total score on the visual analogue scale and the duration of diabetes (? = -0.329, p < 0.05). The statistical significance of the difference in the distribution of respondents? responses in relation to the type of insulin therapy was confirmed in the domain ?Feeling of concern? (?2 (2) = 7.19, p < 0.05). Conclusion. The key determinants that influenced the self-assessment of the health-related quality of life in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus are duration of the disease and the use of insulin analogues.