Effects of the pulmonary rehabilitation program on the quality of life of asthmatic children and their parents

Abstract

The assessment of quality of life in asthmatic children and adolescents is important, as severe asthma, or its uncontrolled symptoms, prevents the participation of these individuals in sports activities, disturbs sleep and, consequently, the regular school performance. However, the disease does not have an impact only on the patients, but it also affects the quality of life of their parents. Objective: To evaluate the quality of life of asthmatic children and the perception of their parents/tutors regarding their children’s quality of life before and after a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program (PRP). Patients and Methods: 5 male children, with a mean age of 8.16 ±1.83 years, were studied and 6 parents/tutors, before and after a 24-session PRP. All the children had a clinical diagnosis of mild and moderate asthma. The Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire was applied to the children, whereas a second and specific questionnaire was applied to the parents. The absolute scores of the questionnaires before and after the PRP were compared by Wilcoxon’s test with p<0.05. Results: There was no significant difference in the comparison of the results of the children’s questionnaire, before and after PRP. However, absolute improvement was verified in the majority of the questions in both questionnaires. Conclusion: The quality of life questionnaires applied to the asthmatic children and their parents did not detect any significant variation regarding the analyzed questions. However, the absolute variations in several items, involving the two instruments, suggest a clinical improvement in the quality of life shown by both questionnaires.