Nieuwesteeg A, Pouwer F, van der Kamp R, van Bakel H, Aanstoot HJ, Hartman E.

Quality of life of children with type 1 diabetes: a systematic review. Curr Diabetes Rev. 2012;8:434-43.

What have previous studies told us about the effect of type 1 diabetes on quality of life in children and adolescents? This systematic review identified 17 relevant studies, published between 2000 and 2012, that measured quality of life in young people with type 1 diabetes and healthy control subjects.

 

Key findings:

• Individual studies had found small-to-moderate effects of type 1 diabetes on aspects of quality of life. However, weighted effect sizes across all studies suggested that there were no differences in general quality of life domains between young people type 1 diabetes and their healthy peers.
• Some disease-specific quality of life problems were observed, including a negative impact of diabetes on daily functioning, and diabetes-related worries.
• The researchers identified a gender effect among the young people type 1 diabetes: girls had a lower general and disease-specific quality of life than boys.
• There was no clear relationship between age and quality of life (general, or disease-specific).

 

Concluding, the researchers said: “Although children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes have to live with a demanding treatment regime, overall results suggest that their generic quality of life is not impaired, compared to healthy peers. However, disease-specific quality of life problems […] were certainly present.”

 

For Pubmed abstract click here.