Health-related quality of life of school- age children with rheumatic Fever

Background: Rheumatic fever (RF) is a major public health problem and it is an important cause of acquired cardiovascular disease in childhood and adolescence. The goal of effective management of rheumatic fever is to allow children with RF to function with minimal restrictions and enjoy a good quality of life(QOL) throughout their lives. The aim of this study was to identify the health-related quality of life of school- age children with rheumatic fever. Materials and Methods: A convenient sample of 100 school-age children with rheumatic fever and their mothers were selected from outpatient clinic and inpatient pediatric cardiac departments of EL-Shatby Children University Hospital, Alexandria, Egypt. Data was collected from children in the previously mentioned settings who fulfil the following criteria, the children's age ranged from 8 to 12 years & free from any associated disease. Two tools were used in Clinical Data of Rheumatic School-Age Children Questionnaire that was developed by the researcher and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory scale (Peds QL). Results: The majority (78.3%) of school-age children with rheumatic fever had a neutral HRQOL and less than a quarter of them had high HRQOL. Only small percent (8.7%) of studied subjects had poor HRQOL. Children's parents' reports confirmed such results, where there were a significant positive correlations between children reports and their parents reports in the majority of studied items of HRQOL regarding rheumatic fever. Conclusion and Recommendations: Health education program for school-age children who had rheumatic fever and their parents towards the different measures of high HRQOL is recommended to help those children to improve their quality of life.