Quality of life in children and adolescents with Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Abstract

Introduction: Quality of life (QoL) is a key aspect in the treatment of patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). International information regarding QoL in SMA is scarce, and is not available in our country.

Objective: To characterize QoL in a sample of Chilean children and adolescents with SMA.

Subjects and Method: Observational, cross-sectional study. A general questionnaire and the PedsQLTM 3.0 Neuromuscular Module Inventory were applied to parents of children with SMA aged 2 to 18 years. It has three areas: Disease, Communication, and Family. A score > 60 was considered as good QoL, 30-60 as regular, and < 30 as low. MINITAB-17® software was used, considering significant a p < 0.05 value.

Results: We recruited 38 patients, with median age 8 years (2-18), 52.63% were male, and 17 (44.7%) with SMA I. All had genetic confirmation. The total score of QoL was 51.92 ± 17, representing 31% good, 55% regular, and 14% low. Regarding SMA I, it was 46.5 ± 15.2 and SMA II-III, 56.3 ± 17.4 (p = 0.071). Concerning the area of Disease, it was 53.83 ± 18.1, Family 48.6 ± 23.14, and Communication 33.3 (IQR: 0.0; 83.33). In this last area, children with SMA II-III, older than 6 years., with non-invasive ventilatory support, or living out of the metropolitan area had higher scores, however, in multivariate analysis, only SMA type was significant, which explained 40,9% of the variation in the communication area score.

Conclusions: In this sample of SMA pediatric patients, the QoL was regular or good in most of them. The lowest area was communication, with a higher score in those children with higher motor function.