Evaluation of Quality of Life in Children with GH Deficiency and Idiopathic Short Stature Using the Child Behavior Checklist.
The quality of life (QoL) of short children is an important issue that has been studied in Western countries, but not fully in Japan. We assessed the psychosocial profiles of Japanese children with short stature using the Japanese version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). A higher score in the CBCL means a lower QoL. A total of 116 children with idiopathic short stature (ISS) and 127 children with GH deficiency (GHD), aged 4 to 15 yr, were enrolled in the study. The total CBCL scores of the children in the GHD/ISS group were found to be higher than those of the normal children group. The QoL subscales for social problems and attention problems of the young (4-11 yr) children in the GHD/ISS group were significantly higher than those of the group of children of normal height. The proportion of children with GHD/ISS classified into the borderline/abnormal range was significantly higher than that of normal children. Children with ISS tended to have higher total scores and more subscale problems, and a greater proportion of these children was classified in the borderline/abnormal range than the children with GHD, although the difference was not significant. These results suggest that QoL is impaired in Japanese children due to short stature.
Tanaka Growth Clinic, Tokyo, Japan.
Toshiaki
T
Tanaka
Lilly Research Laboratories Japan, Eli Lilly Japan K.K., Kobe, Japan.
Shigeru
S
Tai
Lilly Research Laboratories Japan, Eli Lilly Japan K.K., Kobe, Japan.
Yoji
Y
Morisaki
JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan.
Katsuhiko
K
Tachibana
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Chuo-University, Tokyo, Japan.
Yasuko
Y
Kambayashi
Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.
Kazuo
K
Chihara
Pediatrics, Osaka Koseinenkin Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
Yoshiki
Y
Seino
Department of Pediatrics, Asahikawa Medical College, Asahikawa, Japan.
Kenji
K
Fujieda
GH deficiency; idiopathic short stature; quality of life