Health-related quality of life assessment in patients with chronic disorders, with the emphasis on children with chronic inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) assesses how disease and therapeutic management affect health, psychological status, social interaction and coping with symptoms in respect to the patient’s own perceptions and expectations. The significant increase in the prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), relapse-remitting course, debilitating symptoms, and frequent complications make this group of inflammatory diseases very important in respect of the patient’s quality of life, particularly in children. The only IBD-specific HRQOL instrument, developed for paediatric patients, IMPACT III, has already been validated in different countries worldwide. However, in Croatia there are no clinical studies on the quality of life in children with IBD. Moreover, specific HRQOF instruments have not been validated. In order to address this problem, cross-cultural adaptation of IMPACT-III is necessary in order to use it in children suffering from IBD in Croatia.