Investigation of urinary disorders, functional independence, and quality of life in children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

Purpose The study aimed to investigate the relationship between voiding disorders, functional independence, and quality of life, according to the gross motor function classification system, in children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 8–17. Methods A total of 102 individuals (aged 8–17) with CP were included in the study. The Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), Dysfunctional Voiding and Incontinence Scoring System (DVISS), Wee Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM), and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) were used to evaluate the clinical parameters. Results There is a statistically significant difference in DVISS (p = 0.010), WeeFIM (p = 0.001), and PedsQL (p = 0.001) scores of individuals with CP regarding GMFCS. According to the CP classification, there is a statistically significant difference between WeeFIM (p = 0.001) and PedsQL (p = 0.020) scores. Besides, there is a significant difference between DVISS (p = 0.048), WeeFIM (p = 0.001) and PedsQL (p = 0.001) according to the ambulation status of individuals with CP. On the other hand, there is a positive moderate, statistically significant correlation between WeeFIM and PedsQL scores (ρ = 0.306, r = 0.002). A moderately negative statistically significant relationship exists between PedsQL and DVISS (ρ = −0.266, r = 0.007). A negative, moderate, statistically significant correlation was shown between DVISS and WeeFIM scores (ρ = −0.323, r = 0.001). Conclusions As the gross motor functional level of individuals with CP increased, voiding dysfunction increased; on the other hand, functional independence and quality of life decreased.