Generic Health‐Related Quality of Life of Children With Severe Peanut or Tree Nut Allergy
Lasse Saarimäki, Juho E. Kivistö, Iida Ojaniemi, Harri Sintonen, Heini Huhtala, Jennifer L. P. Protudjer, Sandra Ekström, Inger Kull, Jussi KarjalainenABSTRACT
Aim
Food allergies may decrease health‐related quality of life. We assessed health‐related quality of life in Finnish children at risk of a severe peanut or tree nut allergy and their parents.
Methods
Study included children aged 3–15 years referred to Tampere University Hospital for suspected severe nut allergy. Eligibility criteria included a history of anaphylaxis and/or molecular immunology testing referring for severe peanut and/or tree nut allergy. Health‐related quality of life was assessed with generic questionnaires 15D for adults, 16D for teenagers or 17D for children, with scores compared with age group‐matched population references.
Results
A total of 101 children (mean age 7.7 ± 2.9 years) and parent pairs were enrolled. The mean 16D score for 11 teenagers aged 12–15 years and mean 15D score for 101 parents was similar to reference populations; parental distress was borderline statistically worse (0.890 vs. 0.932, p = 0.013). The mean 17D score for 90 children aged 3–11 years was significantly higher (0.959 vs. 0.938) than in references (p < 0.01).
Conclusion
Children with a suspected severe peanut or tree nut allergy had a comparable health‐related quality of life to the reference population. Distress among their parents seemed to be increased, warranting more focus on parental counselling.