Interventional assessment of physical and mental health in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis.

ABSTRACT

In spite of being an integral part of health care the subjective estimation of health status in patients with cystic fibrosis is frequently neglected. In a prospective study in 65 patients maternal, paternal, and patients' ratings were determined and correlated with objective data such as Shwachman scores and lung function tests. No statistically relevant correlations were obtained for parental physical assessment versus Shwachman and lung function data. The adolescents' own assessment of health had a significant relationship to clinical evaluation (r = 0, 42; p less than 0.05). Misjudgements, mainly in the form of overestimations, occurred with a frequency of 28.6% to 53.8%, reflecting inadequate understanding of the disease and its psychological consequences.