Health Related Quality of Life of Patients with Sickle Cell Disease

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the health-related quality of life in pediatric patients with Sickle Cell Disease. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was performed. Pediatric patients suffering from Sickle Cell Disease below the age of 21 were compared with asymptomatic pediatric individuals. Clinical and demographic data were collected along with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL 4.0). Results: The sample was composed of 68 children and adolescents in the "Sickle cell group" and 44 in the "Comparison group". Children and adolescent with SCD had lower scores of health related quality of life compared with healthy subjects in the domains physical (68.3 versus 88.8), social (71.1 versus 90.7), and school functioning (60.2 versus 78.7). The domain emotional functioning was not significantly different (62.1 versus 66.5). Conclusion: The results of the present study demonstrated that children and adolescents with SCD had lower scores of quality of life in the domains activities, social and school functioning when compared to healthy pediatric individuals.