Generic and disease-specific quality of life in adolescents with type 1 diabetes: comparison to age-matched healthy peers

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) on the basis of the pediatric quality of life inventory™ (PedsQL™) generic and diabetes-specific modules, and to compare it to that of healthy peers.

Methods: This retrospective case-control study involved 650 participants between ages of 13 and 19 years including 296 adolescents with T1DM from four diabetes centers and 354 healthy peers matched for age and gender from three different cities of the country. Participants completed the validated PedsQL™ for assessing the HRQoL. The analysis included an independent t-test to compare the means of the total and subscales of the PedsQL™ between boys and girls as well as between a healthy group and a group with T1DM. Gender differences in exercise, insulin therapy modalities were evaluated with the Pearson χ2-test.

Results: Adolescents with T1DM have similar HRQoL in all domains when compared to their healthy counterparts. Females report worse HRQoL regardless of the presence of the disease. Insulin pump therapy facilitates better glycemic control and HRQoL. Regular exercise positively correlates with the generic HRQoL in both groups; however, it has no relationship with glycemic control.

Conclusions: Optimal metabolic control and improved HRQoL are the eventual goals of diabetes management. Despite the difficulties, adolescents with diabetes can manage their disease well and live normal lives, similar to their healthy peers. Although diabetes-related problems exist, it seems that regular exercise and staying physically active, as well as promoting insulin pump therapy where it is applicable are related to favorable HRQoL.