Adaptation and validation of the pediatric asthma quality of life questionnaire in Macedonian children with asthma

Abstract

Background: In order to better the control of asthma in the last decades, despit the use of clinical and pulmonary functional assessment, a lot of emphasis has been put on the assessment of quality of life (QL). The aim of the study was to evaluate the Macedonian version of the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ). Method: The study included 64 children with asthma from the ages ranging from 7 to 17 from a Macedonian nationality, treated in an ambulant or hospital facility within the University Children' s Hospital in Skopje in a time period of 2 years. The children were assess 3 times during a period of 3 months. To assess the control of the condition we used a Clinical Severity Score (CSS), and for the assessment of the QL we used the Macedonia version of the PAQLQ from Elizabeth Juniper which is contained od 23 questions organized into three domains: symptoms, activities and emotions. The results were analyzed with the appropriate statistical test. Result: There has been increase in the average values of the score of the PAQLQ, witch means better control of the asthma by the end of the 3 months. There was not a statistically significant difference (p>0,05) in the change of the QL and the age of the children with asthma in all the three domains and the overall score. Better scores on the PAQLQ were achieved by the children with persistent asthma, as well as the ones with better CSS. A significant correlation was determine between the assessed clinical parameters (asthma diary, FEV1, PEF and CCS) and the domain of activities, symptoms and overall score (p<0,05), and in the domain of emotions only in correlation to CSS (R=0,31). There was a significant improvement of all the scores of PAQLQ after the beginning of the anti-inflammatory therapy with ICS. According to CSS, at the end of the study all of the children were classified as stable (good QL), in contrast to beginning of the study witch was caracterized with 78% of stability. Conclusion: The Macedonian version of the PAQLQ shows exceptional validity, reliability, excellent responsiveness in the QL of the children with asthma. It can be used for the assessing of the condition, has good measurement properties for all children between 7 to 17, successfully assesses the effects of the anti-inflammatory therapy and achieves complete control of the condition. It is simple and easy for use and gives a new dimension to monitoring children with asthma.