First report on health-related quality of life among children with chronic immune thrombocytopenia in Vietnam

Abstract

Background: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a benign childhood disease. The aim of this study was to assess Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among chronic ITP children in Vietnam. Methods: A case - control study was conducted from January 2020 to April 2021. Case group consisted of 56 children with chronic ITP aged from 2 to 18 years and their parents selected in the Department of Nephrology-Hematology – Endocrinology, Haiphong Children's Hospital, Hai Phong city. Controls included 170 healthy children matched with the patients on sex, and age recruited from schools in the same city. The validated Vietnamese version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 Generic Core Scale was used to assess QoL of the participants. Results: The mean HRQoL physical, emotional, social, school functioning domains and total scores of the chronic ITP patients were significantly lower compared with that of the controls (p < 0.001 for all). Children in the age group 13–18 had the lowest overall HRQoL score compared other age groups (60.87 ± 7.66, p = 0.023), especially in the emotional and social functioning domains (58.33 ± 6.83; 64.17 ± 11.58, respectively) (p < 0.001). Chronic ITP patients with older age, longer treatment duration, and ongoing treatment status showed to be having lower HRQoL scores than the younger one, shorter treatment duration, and the stopped treatment group. Conclusion: Chronic ITP has a negative impact on HRQoL in terms of physical functioning, emotional, social, school functioning, and overall scores when compared with the healthy sex, age-matched children.

Keywords

• Immune thrombocytopenia
• ITP
• Chronic ITP
• Vietnam