title: Childhood allergies affect health-related quality of life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The majority of studies investigating the effects of allergy on the children's health-related quality of life (HRQoL) address one particular allergic disease, using a disease-specific HRQoL instrument. This work aims to assess the comparative impact on HRQoL of several allergic conditions of childhood (asthma, rhinitis, eczema, and food hypersensitivity) in a large, population-based sample of Swedish 8-year-olds.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from a Swedish birth cohort (BAMSE). At the 8-year follow-up, parents of 3236 children completed the standardized generic HRQoL instrument EQ-5D and reported on the children's symptoms of asthma, rhinitis, eczema, and food hypersensitivity. Information on allergic sensitization and lung function was available for a sub-sample of the children (n = 2370 and 2425, respectively).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children in the study population had a median EQ visual analog scale (VAS) of 98 (Inter Quartile Range, IQR, 90-100). The median EQ VAS was significantly lower in children with allergic diseases. Children with asthma had the lowest median EQ VAS (90, IQR 85-98) and reported the highest prevalence of problems of "pain or discomfort" (18.2%, compared to 5.5% in children without asthma). Frequent wheezing and effort-induced wheezing were associated with high prevalence of problems of "anxiety or depression" (23.3% and 15.4%, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Swedish 8-year-olds enjoy a good HRQoL, which though is significantly impacted by allergic diseases and particularly by asthma. Asthma symptoms are important determinants of HRQoL and symptom control should be a major goal in asthma management.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden. corina.covaciu@sll.se
authors.forename: Corina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Covaciu
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergström
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Svartengren
authors.forename: Inger
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kull
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life