title: Parents' perceptions are that their child's health-related quality of life is more impaired when they have a wheat rather than a grass allergy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is unknown whether food allergies have greater impact on quality of life than respiratory allergies. This study compared health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children allergic to wheat or grass.
  
  
  METHODS
  We surveyed 63 children with wheat allergies (median age of five) and 72 with grass allergies (median age 12), with their parents. The Child Health Questionnaires for parents (CHQ-PF28) and children (CHQ-CF87) were applied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The parents of children in the wheat group recorded significantly lower CHQ-PF28 scores for the impact of their child's allergy on general behaviour, general health perceptions, parental impact of emotions and time and family activities, than the parents of children with grass allergies (p values ≤0.001). However, parents in the grass group recorded lower scores for the change in health item than the parents of children with wheat allergies (p = 0.020). In the grass group, children and parents reported similar scores for the different questions, but there was poorer correlation between parents and children in the wheat allergy group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HRQoL was lower in children with wheat than grass allergies according to parental reports, with more consistent perceptions of HRQoL among parents and children in the grass allergy than wheat allergy group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science, Medical Faculty, University of Lund, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Borres
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Division for Lung Allergology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.|Centre for Allergy Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science, Medical Faculty, University of Lund, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Drake
authors.affiliation: Thermo Fisher Scientific, Immuno Diagnostics, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sigrid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sjölander
authors.affiliation: Centre for Allergy Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet and Sacchska Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Division for Lung Allergology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.|Centre for Allergy Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Gunilla
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hedlin
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Division for Lung Allergology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.|Centre for Allergy Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nordlund
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012130:Respiratory Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D021182:Wheat Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Grass allergy; Health-related quality of life; Parental perceptions; Wheat allergy