*Pediatric Gastroenterology, Children's Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, NJ †High school student, Long Branch, NJ.
J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2013 Nov;57(5):594-7. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0b013e31829cf923.
Inflammatory bowel disease has been shown to affect children's health-related quality of life (HRQOL) through the use of lengthy questionnaires. We examined whether a pediatric patient's HRQOL, measured by a rapid visual analog scale ("feeling thermometer"), correlates with the perceptions of the HRQOL as determined by the patient's pediatric gastroenterologist and parent(s). Additionally, we attempted to determine whether the HRQOL correlates with the patient's disease activity as determined by validated activity indices.
A cross-sectional study of pediatric patients (ages 7-21 years) who were diagnosed as having Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, or indeterminate colitis was conducted from January 2011 to May 2011. Each participant (patient, parent(s), and treating pediatric gastroenterologist) completed feeling thermometers to determine the symptom burden as well as therapeutic burden of the patient. The parent(s) and doctor were blinded to the patient's results. Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index or a Short Pediatric Crohn Disease Activity Index (S-PCDAI) was calculated. Correlations between the participant's perceived burdens as well as their calculated disease activity were determined.
Sixty-seven children and their families participated, resulting in 101 visits. Patients had a mean age of 15.0 years, and there were 38 boys. There was a strong significant correlation between the patient's perceived symptom burden and that of the parent's (ρ 0.59, P < 0.001) and physician (ρ 0.48, P < 0.001). Similarly, there was a strong significant correlation between patient's perceived treatment burden and that of the parent treatment burden (ρ 0.49, P < 0.001) and, to a lesser degree, the physician (ρ 0.29, P < 0.003). The correlation coefficient was strongest between the physician's perception of the patient's symptom burden against the standard disease activity indices Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (ρ 0.69, P < 0.001) and Short Pediatric Crohn Disease Activity Index (ρ 0.65, P < 0.001).
The patient's HRQOL was highly correlated to both the physician's and parent's perceptions as well as their disease activity. The feeling thermometer is a quick, easy-to-use, visual analog scale that can be implemented in everyday practice to measure a pediatric patient's HRQOL.
炎症性肠病已被证明通过使用冗长的问卷来影响儿童的健康相关生活质量（HRQOL）。我们检查了儿科患者的 HRQOL 是否通过快速视觉模拟量表（“感觉温度计”）来衡量，与儿科胃肠病医生和（或）父母对 HRQOL 的看法相关。此外，我们试图确定 HRQOL 是否与通过验证的活动指数确定的患者疾病活动相关。
对 2011 年 1 月至 2011 年 5 月期间诊断为克罗恩病、溃疡性结肠炎或不确定结肠炎的儿科患者（年龄 7-21 岁）进行了横断面研究。每位参与者（患者、（或）父母和治疗儿科胃肠病医生）都完成了感觉温度计，以确定患者的症状负担和治疗负担。（或）父母和医生对患者的结果不知情。计算了儿科溃疡性结肠炎活动指数或短型儿科克罗恩病活动指数（S-PCDAI）。确定了参与者感知的负担及其计算的疾病活动之间的相关性。
67 名儿童及其家庭参加了研究，共进行了 101 次就诊。患者的平均年龄为 15.0 岁，其中 38 名男性。患者感知的症状负担与父母（ρ0.59，P<0.001）和医生（ρ0.48，P<0.001）感知的症状负担之间存在强烈的显著相关性。同样，患者感知的治疗负担与父母的治疗负担（ρ0.49，P<0.001）之间存在强烈的显著相关性，与医生的治疗负担相关性稍低（ρ0.29，P<0.003）。医生对患者症状负担的感知与标准疾病活动指数儿科溃疡性结肠炎活动指数（ρ0.69，P<0.001）和短型儿科克罗恩病活动指数（ρ0.65，P<0.001）之间的相关系数最强。
患者的 HRQOL 与医生和（或）父母的看法以及他们的疾病活动高度相关。感觉温度计是一种快速、易用的视觉模拟量表，可以在日常实践中用于衡量儿科患者的 HRQOL。
