{
  "abstract": "Functional constipation (FC) in the paediatric age group is a significant global health issue, with prevalence rates varying across geographic regions. 1 In the UK, it is estimated at 10–20%.2 FC accounts for a notable percentage of paediatric consultations and referrals.3 4 The condition negatively impacts children’s physical, emotional, social, and educational well-being and poses a burden on families and healthcare systems.5 Although much is reported on various metrics related to childhood constipation, there is a paucity of data on the impact of this chronic and common condition on the quality of life of young people. Measuring quality of life is vitally important in shaping services to meet community needs. This study aims to report the impact on the quality of life of children and young people in the XX Network using a validated health-related quality of life tool, PedsQL.Aim is to compare the quality of life (QoL) between children with functional constipation and their healthy peers using the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL).This case-control study was conducted with 112 children being treated for constipation and 35 healthy controls, aged 2–16 years. The study spanned multiple centres across XX Region, UK, from October 2021 to November 2023. The PedsQL, a validated questionnaire covering physical, emotional, social, and school functioning domains, was used to assess QoL. Data were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test, with p-values <0.05 considered statistically significant.Children with constipation had significantly lower QoL scores across all domains compared to healthy controls. Physical functioning scores were 60.00 ± 24.43 (constipation) vs. 86.60 ± 13.40 (control) (p<0.001). Emotional functioning scores were 47.65 ± 21.94 (constipation) vs. 76.85 ± 19.40 (control) (p<0.001). Social functioning scores were 64.57 ± 26.73 (constipation) vs. 85.00 ± 20.10 (control) (p<0.001). Educational functioning scores were 59.71 ± 26.34 (constipation) vs. 79.23 ± 20.92 (control) (p<0.001). Parents reported lower scores compared to children, particularly in emotional functioning (p=0.003).Children with functional constipation report a significantly lower quality of life compared to their non-constipated peers, affecting multiple aspects of daily functioning. The chronic nature and broad-reaching impacts of FC highlight the need for improved management strategies to enhance QoL for affected children and their families. Further research is needed to explore the impact of treatment on QoL in paediatric populations.References Levy EI, Lemmens R, Vandenplas Y. Functional constipation in children: challenges and solutions. Pediatric Health Med Ther. 2017;8:19–27.Auth M, Vora R, Farrelly P. Childhood constipation. BMJ. 2012;345:e7309.Mutyala R, Sanders K, Bates MD. Assessment and management of pediatric constipation for the primary care clinician. Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care. 2020;50:100802.National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Constipation: How common is it? [Internet]. London: NICE; c2024 [last revised in January 2024; cited 2024 Oct 27]. Available from: https://cks.nice.org.uk/constipation-in-children/background-information/prevalence/Afzal N, Tighe M, Thomson M. Constipation in children. Ital J Pediatr. 2011;37(28):1–10.Bongers ME, Benninga MA, Maurice-Stam H. Health-related quality of life in young adults with symptoms of constipation continuing from childhood into adulthood. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2009;7:20.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Foundation Trust"
      ],
      "name": "Burcu Ozen"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Foundation Trust"
      ],
      "name": "Sarmad Kalamchi"
    }
  ],
  "title": "OC13 Comparison of quality of life in paediatric functional constipation in different age groups: a case-control study",
  "uid": "f17e543b-72a1-52ef-be57-8b2a531979a4"
}