Health‐Related Quality of Life in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease During COVID‐19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objectives:The aims of our study were to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children affected by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) during the first wave of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and after 12 months. Methods: This was a single-center, prospective, observational study conducted between April 2020 and April 2021. Children from 10 to 18 years with a confirmed diagnosis of IBD were enrolled during the first COVID-19-related national quarantine. The following information was collected at the baseline and after 12 months: IBD subtype, location and phenotype, disease activity, current and previous therapies. Patients were asked to complete the PROMIS Anxiety and IMPACT III questionnaires. Results: One hundred and eighteen patients were enrolled, of whom 54 (46%) were affected by Crohn disease (CD) and 64 (54%) with ulcerative colitis (UC; median age: 15.5 years, range 10.3-18; M/F: 68/50). Median HRQoL was significantly decreased after 12 months compared with the beginning of COVID-19-related quarantine (T1: 76.7 vs T2: 72.8; P < 0.001). At 12 months, a higher number of children were reported to be in active disease when compared with the enrollment [T2: 22/108 (20.4%) vs T1: 12/118 (10%); P = 0.02]. Multivariate analysis showed a significant influence on HRQoL of quarantine period (P < 0.001), female sex (P = 0.016), biologic therapy (P = 0.011), and active disease (P < 0.001). Conclusions: A deterioration of HRQoL after 12 months from COVID-19-related quarantine was observed. Additionally, the higher number of children with active disease at 12 months compared with enrollment may suggest detrimental consequences of the reduced disease control, contributing to decreased HRQoL.

Impact of a home-based resistance training program on health-related quality of life and sleep quality in children with inflammatory bowel disease in remission

“…The study period coincided partially with the COVID-19 pandemic, and consequently we cannot exclude the potential detrimental effects of the pandemic on HRQoL of our participants. Such effects have already been described among Italian [49] and Canadian pediatric IBD patients [50]. The signi cance of our study lies in the fact that it is one of the rst intervention studies aiming to improve HRQoL and sleep quality in…”

SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Outcomes in Children with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Systematic Review

“…Emotional stress is a compounding factor for the symptoms of patients with IBD and could influence the severity of the disease [ 36 ]. Deterioration of health-related quality control in patients with PIBD was reported in the period during and after the quarantine for COVID-19, leading to an increased number of patients with active disease, as well as to reduced disease control [ 37 ]. However, the pandemic still presents a multifaceted challenge in the complex handling of a patient with PIBD.…”

Two Years of COVID-19 Pandemic: What Psychological Impact in Primary Ciliary Diskinesia? A Prospective Study of an Italian Center

“…Early data identified adults and children with chronic disease as especially vulnerable to mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic [23][24][25][26][27]. More recent studies did not confirm this data.…”