Qualidade de vida em cuidadores de crianças asmáticas

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the quality of life in caregivers of asthmatic children treated in specialized outpatient service and its association with the level of asthma control. Methods: Cross-sectional, prospective and analytical. Interview with the caregiver and evaluation of the child's records were the information sources. Pediatric Asthma Caregiver’s Quality of Life Questionnaire (PACQLQ) was used to measure quality of life. Asthma was classified into controlled and uncontrolled according to symptoms reported in the last week. Results: 41 female asthmatic children caregivers were interviewed (mean age 33.3 years). Forty-one children aged 3-8 years old were studied - 58.5% with uncontrolled asthma and 41.5% with controlled asthma. Forty children were diagnosed with rhinitis. The proportion of children with rhinitis and the disease frequency last week, were significantly higher in the group with uncontrolled asthma. Children caregivers with uncontrolled asthma showed total and specific PACQLQ scores significantly lower when compared with controlled asthma group. The frequency of rhinitis symptoms was correlated negatively with the mean total score (r = -0.53, p <0.001), with the mean emotions score (r = -0.34, p = 0.03) and with the mean activities domain (r = -0.56, p <0.001). Conclusion: Caregivers of uncontrolled asthma children had a worse quality of life compared with controlled asthma ones. Rhinitis was as an important influencing factor of asthma control and of the child's caregiver quality of life.