A comparison of health-related quality of life in 5-and 10-year-old Swedish children with and without cleft lip and/or palate

BackgroundThe current understanding on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in young Swedish children with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) is sparse, and therefore, research on impact of CL/P on HRQoL in children is needed. AimsTo investigate HRQoL in 5- and 10-year-old Swedish children with CL/P in comparison with non-cleft controls. Also to analyse whether there were any differences in HRQoL between children with cleft lip (with or without cleft palate, CL P) and cleft palate only (CP) and/or gender differences. DesignA total of 137 children with CL/P and 305 non-cleft controls participated. HRQoL was measured with KIDSCREEN-52. ResultsAll children in the study exhibited HRQoL within or above the age-matched reference interval of the method with similar results in both groups; however, in the dimension social support and peers', the 10-year-old children with CL/P perceived lower HRQoL than the non-cleft controls, but it did not reach statistical significance. Type of cleft or gender did not influence HRQoL. ConclusionsBoth 5- and 10-year-old Swedish children with CL/P had HRQoL in the normal reference interval. Their general life situations were well adjusted to their clefts, but the older children with CL/P felt more excluded and less supported by peers.