Assessment Of Health Related Quality Of Life Of Children With Nephrotic Syndrome and Their Care Takers At A Tertiary Hospital In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract Background: Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is one of the commonest pediatric chronic renal problems affecting children’s worldwide. Beyond the well-known effects of on kidney function, NS can also have impact on the patients and care givers life style, peer relationship, social functioning, intellectual functions and behavioral characteristics. Objective: To assess the quality of life of children with NS as well as their caregivers and to determine the factors that adversely affect it. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study conducted using a pre coded, pretested structured questionnaire including PedsQoLTM 4.0 scale score generic core and family impact module. Data obtained for demographic and clinical parameters of children and for each domain of generic core and family impact module and data was be analyzed using IBM SPSS® version 26. Results: 153 children aged 4-18 years with NS were included over a period of three months. Among the scores with median (inter-quartile range) the domains of generic core scale, child school performance was most affected with 73(53.0-97.5) followed with child physical performance 87(75-97.5). Children whose parents were earning less (p=0.009), children having hypertension (p=0.047) and steroid resistant clinical type (p=0.016) of NS were at increased odds of encountering poorer child health related quality with AOR of 0.306, 2.464 and 2.560 respectively. In the family impact module domains with median (inter-quartile range), the most affected are being ‘worry’ with 60.0 (45.5-75), followed with emotion 77(54.5-90.0). It was demonstrated that caregivers of child with hypertension are at 4.3times(AOR,4.3, p=0.016)increased risk of having poorer quality of life(QoL) than those without. Conclusion: School performance and ‘worry’ are the most affected domains in child generic scale and family impact modules respectively. Low socioeconomic status, Steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome and hypertension are also associated with poorer HRQoL.