RESUMEN
Background: Euglyca® is a mobile application which we developed for children and adolescents suffering type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) for calculation of the appropriate insulin bolus dose by importing in the equation carbohydrates, lipids, glucose levels, and personalized parameters. Aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of this application on patients' glycemic control and satisfaction. Subjects and Methods: Eighty children and adolescents (aged 13.5 ± 2.8 years old, mean ± standard deviation) with T1DM were included in the study and were randomly and equally assigned in two groups. Patients were asked to use Euglyca for the calculation of the bolus insulin dose in the E group and to pursue their routine calculations in the C group (controls). At baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 months following the initial visit, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) values, percentages of hypoglycemias, hyperglycemias, and normoglycemias were determined for each patient, while Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ) was used to assess patients' treatment satisfaction at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. Results: Children and adolescents in the E group had a statistically significant decrease in HbA1c values and increase in percentages of normoglycemias and DTSQ scores, in comparison to children and adolescents in the C group. In the E group, a statistically significant positive linear correlation was found between DTSQ score and percentages of normoglycemias and a statistically significant negative correlation between changes in percentages of normoglycemias (Δnormoglycemias) and changes in HbA1c (ΔHbA1c). Conclusions: The use of the mobile application Euglyca contributes to the improvement of glycemic control and treatment satisfaction of children and adolescents with T1DM.
Asunto(s)
Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 1/tratamiento farmacológico , Conductas Relacionadas con la Salud , Hipoglucemiantes/uso terapéutico , Insulina/uso terapéutico , Aplicaciones Móviles , Adolescente , Glucemia , Automonitorización de la Glucosa Sanguínea , Niño , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 1/sangre , Femenino , Hemoglobina Glucada/efectos de los fármacos , Humanos , Masculino , Comidas , Cooperación del Paciente/estadística & datos numéricos , Satisfacción del Paciente , Estudios Prospectivos , Autocuidado/estadística & datos numéricosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Asthma may influence children's health-related quality of life (QoL) differently by various symptoms, at different severity. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the QoL in children with asthma and describe the impact of each asthma symptom on the child's well-being at different severity levels. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two hundred randomly selected children and one of their parents who consulted an outpatient asthma clinic, participated in the study. Qol was assessed with DISABKIDS-Smiley measure for children aged 4-7 years and with DISABKIDS DCGM-37 and Asthma Module for children 8-14 year old. RESULTS: Most of the children suffered from mild or moderate persistent asthma. Children with uncontrolled asthma stated lower QoL compared to partly controlled or controlled in both age groups (p < 0.05 in all domains). Cough appeared to affect QoL of 8-14 year olds more than other symptoms, especially in girls. In younger children, sex (boys, p = 0.039), age (p = 0.045), proxy sex (father, p = 0.048), frequency of doctor visits (4-6 months, p = 0.001), use of beta-2 agonists (p = 0.007) and father's smoking habits (p = 0.015) were associated with the QoL of coughing children but no correlation between cough and QoL was detected. In the 8-14 year age group coughers reported lower QoL compared to their counterparts; moreover, cough was found to affect QoL more than other symptoms (p < 0.05 in all domains). CONCLUSIONS: Cough has a direct effect on asthmatic children's QoL but there is still an obvious need for research to reveal all the determinats of this effect.