title: Age-specific influence of wheezing phenotypes on pre-adolescent and adolescent health-related quality of life.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Asthma is associated with diminished health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Particularly in adolescence, asthma may be under-diagnosed and undertreated or poorly managed. Therefore, we aimed to determine the association between childhood wheezing phenotypes rather than asthma and adolescent HRQoL in children aged 10-17 yr.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed the data from two prospective population-based cohort studies (n = 604 and n = 1804) conducted in southern Germany with baseline assessments in 2000 and 2006 and follow-ups at frequent intervals. Parent-reported wheeze was categorized into never, early transient, persistent, and late-onset wheeze. We assessed child-reported HRQoL in seven scales using the validated KINDL-R. Multivariate linear regression models were computed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants with late-onset wheeze had significantly lower values in all HRQoL scales, but physical well-being compared to never wheezers. Early transient wheeze was negatively associated with three HRQoL scales only (family, school, and total). These effects were confined to the oldest age group (≥13.5 yr) in one study. Persistent wheeze was not associated with HRQoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In teenagers, late-onset wheezers seem to be particularly vulnerable for impairments in psychosocial aspects of health-related quality of life. They may therefore require particular attention with regard to education about asthma management and potentially family-based psychosocial intervention.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Epidemiology and Medical Biometry, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Braig
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brandt
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wabitsch
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Florath
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: Dietrich
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rothenbacher
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Genuneit
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D044382:Population Groups; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011584:Psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: adolescent; child; cohort study; quality of life; wheezing phenotypes