Health related quality of life in pediatric onset Type 1 diabetes mellitus in Kerala, India

Background To study the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in pediatric onset Type 1 diabetes mellitus (TIDM) in the state of Kerala in India. Methods Diabetes specific HRQoL was determined in 107 subjects with onset of T1DM less than 21 years using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 3.2 questionnaire of which 69 also completed the PedsQL 4.0 generic questionnaire. The parents of these patients completed the proxy scoring questionnaire. The generic HRQoL of T1DM was compared with control population without diabetes. Results Mean age of onset of T1DM was 8.2 +/- 4.6 years and mean duration was 8.2 +/- 5.6 years. The median HbA1c was 8.7% (72 mmol/mol). Microvascular complications were present in 14.9% of the patients. The generic HRQoL was lower in patients with T1DM compared to peers without diabetes (77.43 vs. 87.45; p < 0.001). Parents reported lower scores in diabetes management, treatment barriers, physical functioning and generic scales compared to patients. Parents reported greater worry about the disease with lesser age of onset of diabetes and with presence of complications. Those using insulin vials and on splitmix regimen had lower HRQoL compared to those using insulin pens. The patients belonging to lower socioeconomic status (SES) reported lower diabetes scores (73.7 vs. 58.7; p = 0.015). Conclusions The generic HRQoL was lower in children with T1DM compared to peers without diabetes. Parents and children had different perception about HRQoL in many aspects. The diabetes specific scores were lower in those belonging to lower SES.

Automated summary

The study found that the generic HRQoL was lower in children with T1DM compared to peers without diabetes in the state of Kerala, India. Parents and children had different perceptions about HRQoL, with lower SES patients reporting lower diabetes scores.