title: Health-related quality of life and its determinants in children and adolescents born with oesophageal atresia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Following surgical correction in the neonatal period, patients born with oesophageal atresia have significant co-morbidity, particularly in childhood. This study evaluates health-related quality of life and its determinants such as concomitant anomalies and the presence of respiratory and/or gastro-intestinal symptoms 6-18 years after repair of oesophageal atresia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents of 24 patients with oesophageal atresia completed the child health questionnaire for parents and 37 patients completed the child form. Gastro-intestinal symptoms were assessed by a validated standardized reflux questionnaire. Results were compared with a healthy reference population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parents as well as patients themselves scored significantly lower on the domain general health perception. According to parents, general health perception was negatively affected by age at follow-up and concomitant anomalies. Patients reported that reflux symptoms reduced general health perception.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this first study describing health-related quality of life in children and adolescents born with oesophageal atresia, we demonstrated that general health remains impaired because of a high incidence of concomitant anomalies and gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with oesophageal atresia when compared with the healthy reference population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m.peetsold@vumc.nl
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Peetsold
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Heij
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Deurloo
authors.forename: R J B J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Gemke
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D004933:Esophageal Atresia / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010290:Parents; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires