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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #319755
Title: PedsQL gastrointestinal symptoms scales and gastrointestinal worry scales in pediatric patients with functional and organic gastrointestinal diseases in comparison to healthy controls

Author
item VARNI, JAMES - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
item BENDO, CRISTIANE - FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF MINAS GERAIS
item DENHAM, JOLANDA - OHIO UNIVERSITY
item SHULMAN, ROBERT - CHILDREN'S NUTRITION RESEARCH CENTER (CNRC)
item SELF, MARIELLA - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
item NEIGUT, DEBORAH - CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL - DENVER, COLORADO
item NURKO, SAMUEL - BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
item PATEL, ASHISH - UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER
item FRANCIOSI, JAMES - CINCINNATI CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
item SAPS, MIGUEL - NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
item YECKES, ALYSON - CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL - DENVER, COLORADO
item POHL, J - PRIMARY CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER
item SHEHZAD, SAEED - CINCINNATI CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL

Submitted to: Quality of Life Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/23/2014
Publication Date: 1/1/2015
Citation: Varni, J.W., Bendo, C.B., Denham, J., Shulman, R.J., Self, M.M., Neigut, D.A., Nurko, S., Patel, A.S., Franciosi, J.P., Saps, M., Yeckes, A., Pohl, J.F., Shehzad, S. 2015. PedsQL gastrointestinal symptoms scales and gastrointestinal worry scales in pediatric patients with functional and organic gastrointestinal diseases in comparison to healthy controls. Quality of Life Research. 24:363-378.

Interpretive Summary: The quality of life of patients is receiving increasing attention. We developed a questionnaire to see if it could be used to test the quality of life of healthy children, those with known gastrointestinal problems, and those with unexplained abdominal (belly) pain. The questionnaire appeared to work well in these groups to measure quality of life. Such a tool can now be itilized by clinicians for their research.

Technical Abstract: The primary objective was to compare the gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and worry of pediatric patients with functional GI disorders (FGIDs) and organic GI diseases to healthy controls utilizing the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Worry Scales for patient self-reports ages 5-18 years and parent proxy-reports for ages 2-18 years. The secondary objective was to compare FGIDs and organic GI diseases to each other. The PedsQL Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Worry Scales were completed in a 9-site study by 587 pediatric patients with GI disorders and 685 parents of patients. Patients had physician-diagnosed GI disorders (chronic constipation, functional abdominal pain, irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease). Ten gastrointestinal symptoms scales measuring stomach pain, stomach discomfort when eating, food and drink limits, trouble swallowing, heartburn and reflux, nausea and vomiting, gas and bloating, constipation, blood, and diarrhea were administered along with two Gastrointestinal Worry Scales. Five hundred and thirteen healthy children and 337 parents of healthy children completed the PedsQL Gastrointestinal Scales in an internet panel survey. The PedsQL Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Worry Scales distinguished between pediatric patients with FGIDs and organic GI diseases in comparison with healthy controls, supporting known-groups validity. Patients with FGIDs reported more GI symptoms and worry than patients with organic GI diseases. The PedsQL Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Worry Scales may be utilized as common metrics across pediatric patient groups with FGIDs and organic GI diseases and healthy samples to measure GI-specific symptoms in clinical research and practice.