Health related quality of life of food allergic patients

Allergy. 2009 Oct 1. [Epub ahead of print]

Health-related quality of life of food allergic patients: comparison with the general population and other diseases.

Flokstra-de Blok BM, Dubois AE, Vlieg-Boerstra BJ, Oude Elberink JN, Raat H, Dunngalvin A, Hourihane JO, Duiverman EJ. Department of Paediatrics, Division of Paediatric Pulmonology and Paediatric Allergy, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.

Background: To date no studies have compared generic health-related quality of life (HRQL) of food allergic patients from childhood to adulthood with that of the general population or patients with other chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to compare generic HRQL of food allergic patients with the general population and other diseases.

Methods: Generic HRQL questionnaires (CHQ-CF87 and RAND-36) were completed by 79 children, 74 adolescents and 72 adults with food allergy. The generic HRQL scores were compared with scores from published studies on the general population and patients with asthma, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diabetes mellitus (DM) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Results: Food allergic children and adolescents reported fewer limitations in school work due to behavioural problems (P

Conclusion: HRQL is impaired in food allergic adolescents and adults, compared to the general population, and it is intermediate in magnitude between DM and RA, asthma and IBS. Children show the least impact on generic HRQL from food allergy.

PMID: 19796214 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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written by Maff, October 05, 2009

This qualitative study (subjective) finds what may perhaps be a surprising result to those who do not suffer from food allergies - that they cause a degree of suffering and reduction in quality of life than type 2 diabetes which most people would consider a much more serious condition.