Quality of life and self-esteem in children treated for idiopathic short stature.
OBJECTIVE
Changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and self-esteem were studied in children with idiopathic short stature (ISS) participating in a study on the effect of growth hormone treatment.


METHODS
Prepubertal children (n = 36) with ISS were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. Children with ISS, their parents, and the pediatrician completed HRQOL and self-esteem questionnaires 3 times in 2 years.


RESULTS
At the start, children with ISS did not have lower scores than the norm population, except for social functioning HRQOL. The pediatrician reported an improvement of HRQOL in the treatment group, the parents reported no change, and the children in the treatment group reported the same, or sometimes even worse, HRQOL or self-esteem than the control group. Changes related to the child's satisfaction with height and hardly to growth itself.


CONCLUSIONS
The assumption that growth hormone treatment improves HRQOL in children with ISS could not be supported in this study.
Theunissen
Nicolet C M
NC
Department of Pediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
Kamp
Gerdine A
GA
Koopman
Hendrik M
HM
Zwinderman
Koos A H
KA
Vogels
Ton
T
Wit
Jan-Maarten
JM
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001827:Body Height; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012649:Self Concept
D013006:Growth Hormone