Abstract
BackgroundIdiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) reduces patient health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The impacts of disease and treatment on families are also an important concern. This study aimed to assess the impact of ICPP on the HRQoL of children and parents; its impact on family functioning; and to determine the association between patient HRQoL and family impact, comprising the HRQoL of parents and family functioning.MethodsWe conducted a case-control study in Chongqing, China. A case group of 134 children with ICPP aged 5 to 12 years and their caregivers was recruited from a children’s hospital in Chongqing. A total of 210 gender- and age-matched subjects from two schools were selected as controls. Patient HRQoL was assessed by administering the PedsQLTM4.0 Generic Core Scales (GCS). Impacts of ICPP on parental HRQoL and family functioning were evaluated by the PedsQLTM Family Impact Module (FIM).ResultsA total of 344 subjects were enrolled, with 134 in the case group and 210 in the control group. Children with ICPP scored lower than controls in all HRQoL domains except physical functioning. In particular, the two groups were significantly different in emotional functioning scores (77.39±17.97 vs 84.12±14.35, P<0.001). Compared with controls, ICPP families had lower scores in all dimensions of the PedsQLTM4.0 FIM scale. In the case group, patient HRQoL was significantly correlated with family impact scores (r= 0.224, P<0.05), but not with the dimensions of social functioning, communication, worry, and family relationships. ConclusionsICPP worsens the HRQoL of patients and their parents, and also impairs family functioning. In addition, parents with higher HRQoL scores and family functioning generally reported higher HRQoL of children with ICPP. These findings suggest that health care professionals should identify and monitor ICPP patients’ psychosocial problems proactively, and provide targeted interventions to reduce family impact and thereby improve patient HRQoL.