title: Health-related quality of life in children with objectively diagnosed staple food allergy assessed with a disease-specific questionnaire.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Among Swedish children of 0-12 years old, we investigated various food allergy-related exposures associated with health-related quality of life using a food allergy-specific questionnaire among children allergic to the staple foods cow's milk, hen's egg and/or wheat, and contextualised worse food allergy-associated health-related quality of life using a generic questionnaire versus controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 85 children with objectively diagnosed allergy to the staple foods were included as cases, and 94 children matched for age and sex were included as controls. We administered a food allergy-specific parent-completed questionnaire originally developed by EuroPrevall to cases only, and a generic health-related quality of life questionnaire (EuroQol Health Questionnaire, 5 Dimensions; EQ 5-D); to both cases and controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hen's egg was the most common offending staple food, affecting 76% of cases. Approximately 7% of cases were allergic to all three staple foods. Parent-reported respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms were associated with worse health-related quality of life. Elements of disease severity [previous anaphylaxis (p < 0.001); epinephrine autoinjector prescription (p < 0.003)] were negatively associated with health-related quality of life. Cases had worse health-related quality of life measured by the EQ-5D compared to controls (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of a disease-specific questionnaire revealed that disease severity in children with objectively diagnosed allergy to the staple foods cow's milk, hen's egg and/or wheat is associated with worse health-related quality of life. The use of a generic questionnaire confirmed that cases have worse health-related quality of life than controls.
authors.affiliation: The Centre for Allergy Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|The Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: J L P
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Protudjer
authors.affiliation: The Centre for Allergy Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: S-A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Jansson
authors.affiliation: The Centre for Allergy Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Clinical Research and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Östblom
authors.affiliation: Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment, SBU, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, and Medical Management Centre, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: M Heibert
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Arnlind
authors.affiliation:  Allergy Unit, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bengtsson
authors.affiliation: The Centre for Allergy Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|The Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: S-E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Dahlén
authors.affiliation: The Swedish Asthma and Allergy Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kallström-Bengtsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marklund
authors.affiliation: The Centre for Allergy Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|The Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: R J M
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Middelveld
authors.affiliation:  Allergy Unit, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rentzos
authors.affiliation: Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Sundqvist
authors.affiliation:  Allergy Unit, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Åkerström
authors.affiliation: The Centre for Allergy Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahlstedt
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Children; Food allergy; Food hypersensitivity; Health-related quality of life