Parent-child discrepancies in health-related quality of life in pediatric celiac disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Noemi Zampatti, Stefania Proietti, Federica Malerba et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined child–parent differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among children and adolescents with celiac disease, using the disease-specific CDDUX questionnaire. It included 21 studies from 14 countries, with 2,453 children and 2,257 parents; pooled analyses used random-effects models. Children reported HRQoL scores 7% higher overall than parents perceived, with differences across all domains and particularly in “Diet.” Overall scores indicated neutral HRQoL, while “Having CD” was the lowest-scoring domain and “Communication” the highest.
Key findings
- Children’s self-reported HRQoL scores were 7% higher overall than parent-proxy scores.
- Differences between child and parent assessments occurred across all domains, particularly “Diet.”
- “Having CD” had the lowest domain scores, while “Communication” had the highest.
- HRQoL scores were highest in South America and lowest in the Middle East and North Africa.
Why it matters
Child and parent assessments may capture different aspects of the burden of celiac disease. The findings highlight the emotional dimension of living with the condition and suggest that relying on proxy reports alone may not reflect children’s own perceptions. Geographic differences also warrant cautious interpretation because comparability across language versions and cultural settings was not established.
What to keep in mind
The clinical importance of the pooled difference is uncertain. Geographic comparisons should be interpreted cautiously because comparability across language versions and cultural settings was not established.