English publication
Abstract
Background/Aims: To evaluate quality of life (QoL) in adolescents
born SGA without spontaneous catch-up growth, treated with and without long-term
growth hormone (GH) therapy. Additionally, to assess whether GH treatment
has a positive effect on QoL, besides improving adult height and height SDS
during childhood.
Methods: Two groups of adolescents born SGA without spontaneous
catch-up growth participated in the QoL evaluation; a GH-treated group (n
= 44, mean GH duration: 8.8 (1.7) years) and an untreated group (n = 28),
both mean age 15.8 (2.1) years. QoL was measured by self-reports of the TACQOL-S,
a disorder-specific questionnaire, and the CHQ, a generic questionnaire.
Results: The GH group scored significantly better health
status and health-related QoL on several scales of the TACQOL-S. On all TACQOL-S
scales the GH group scored better QoL than the untreated group, with effect
sizes of moderate to large, not all differences reaching statistical significance.
The generic CHQ did not reveal significant differences in QoL between the
GH group and the untreated group.
Conclusions: Firstly, adolescents born SGA, with a GH-induced
improved height, had in many aspects a better QoL than untreated adolescents
born SGA, according to the disorder-specific questionnaire. Secondly, we advise
to use, in addition to a generic questionnaire, a disorder-specific questionnaire
for measuring QoL in children treated for short stature, as the generic CHQ
did not reveal such differences.