Health-Related Quality of Life Correlates with Bladder and Bowel Dysfunction: the Need for a New Patient-Centered Questionnaire

Abstract

Background and Hypothesis: Children with voiding dysfunction (VD), such as incontinence or urinary frequency, may report lower quality of life (QOL) compared to their peers. QOL questionnaires which could be used in this population have several limitations. PinQ is a bladder-specific, health-related QOL questionnaire, but it was developed without stakeholder input and fails to separate symptoms from QOL. Kidscreen-10 is a generic QOL questionnaire. We aimed to understand how QOL captured using existing instruments correlates with VD severity in a cross-sectional study. We hypothesized that large differences in symptoms would correspond with large differences in bladder-specific QOL but small differences in generic QOL.

Methods: We recruited children 8-18 years old with VD at a pediatric urology clinic (June-July 2023). VD included daytime incontinence, enuresis, frequency, urgency, and dysuria. We excluded children with severe developmental delay, anatomical urological abnormalities, or history of
urologic surgery. We captured demographics, symptoms (Vancouver Dysfunction Voiding Symptom Score, DVSS), and QOL (PinQ and Kidscreen-10). Questionnaire scores were compared to weighted means from previous studies. We calculated Spearman correlations and QOL differences corresponding with the reported 20-point range of DVSS scores.

Results: Twenty children (11 girls) at a median age of 10 years old participated (Table 1). Mean DVSS score was 14, similar to previous studies (weighted mean: 15). PinQ scores had a moderate positive correlation with DVSS scores (r = 0.37) with a 20-point DVSS difference  corresponding to a 24% difference in PinQ scores (Figure 1). Kidscreen-10 scores had a moderate negative correlation with DVSS scores (r = -0.33) with a 20-point DVSS difference corresponding to a 12% difference in Kidscreen-10 scores (Figure 2).

Conclusions: Previously published QOL questionnaires have significant limitations, limiting their clinical use in the care of patients with VD. A new, patient-centered, highly specific, and sensitive healthrelated QOL questionnaire is needed.