title: Disease impact on the quality of life of children with inflammatory bowel disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the impact of disease characteristics on the quality of life (QOL) in children with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the First Department of Pediatrics of the University of Athens at the "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital. Children diagnosed with Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC), who were followed as outpatients or during a hospitalization, participated, after informed consent was obtained from their legal representative. QOL was assessed by the IMPACT-III questionnaire. Demographic data and disease characteristics were also collected. Statistical analyses included parametric (Student'st-test and Pearson'sr) and non-parametric (Mann-Whitney test, Fisher's test and Spearman's rho) procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-nine patients (UC: 37, 73.0% females, CD: 62, 51.6% females), aged 12.8 ± 2.6 years were included. Overall, as well as, sub-domain scores did not differ between UC and CD (overall score: 73.9 ± 13.3vs77.5 ± 11.2, respectively,P= 0.16). In the entire sample, total score was related to physician's global assessment (PGA, patients classified as "mild/moderate" active disease had, on average, 14.8 ± 2.7 points lower total scores compared to those "in remission",P< 0.001) and age at IMPACT completion (Pearson'sr= 0.29,P= 0.05). Disease activity assessed by the indices Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis activity index, Pediatric Crohn's disease activity index or PGA was significantly associated with all subdomains scores. Presence of extraintestinal manifestations had a negative impact on emotional and social functioning domains.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Disease activity is the main correlate of QOL in children with IBD, underlining the importance of achieving and sustaining clinical remission.
authors.affiliation: Giorgos Chouliaras, Daphne Margoni, Konstantina Dimakou, Smaragdi Fessatou, Ioanna Panayiotou, Eleftheria Roma-Giannikou, First Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Giorgos
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chouliaras
authors.affiliation: Giorgos Chouliaras, Daphne Margoni, Konstantina Dimakou, Smaragdi Fessatou, Ioanna Panayiotou, Eleftheria Roma-Giannikou, First Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Daphne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Margoni
authors.affiliation: Giorgos Chouliaras, Daphne Margoni, Konstantina Dimakou, Smaragdi Fessatou, Ioanna Panayiotou, Eleftheria Roma-Giannikou, First Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dimakou
authors.affiliation: Giorgos Chouliaras, Daphne Margoni, Konstantina Dimakou, Smaragdi Fessatou, Ioanna Panayiotou, Eleftheria Roma-Giannikou, First Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Smaragdi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fessatou
authors.affiliation: Giorgos Chouliaras, Daphne Margoni, Konstantina Dimakou, Smaragdi Fessatou, Ioanna Panayiotou, Eleftheria Roma-Giannikou, First Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Ioanna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Panayiotou
authors.affiliation: Giorgos Chouliaras, Daphne Margoni, Konstantina Dimakou, Smaragdi Fessatou, Ioanna Panayiotou, Eleftheria Roma-Giannikou, First Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Eleftheria
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roma-Giannikou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Crohn’s disease; IMPACT-III; Inflammatory bowel disease; children; quality of life; ulcerative colitis