Quality of life in caregivers of children with asthma: Validity and reliability of the IFABI-R questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Parents'/caregivers' quality of life is an important aspect to consider when handling paediatric asthma, but there is a paucity of valid and reliable instruments to measure it. The Family Impact of Childhood Bronchial Asthma (IFABI-R) is a recently developed questionnaire to facilitate the assessment of asthma-related parents'/caregivers' quality of life. This study researches the psychometric properties of IFABI-R. METHODS: Parents/main caregivers of 462 children between 4 and 14 years of age with active asthma were included in the sample. IFABI-R was administered on two different occasions and a number of other variables related to the parents'/caregivers' quality of life were measured: child's asthma control, family functioning, and parents'/caregivers' perception of asthma symptoms in the child. IFABI-R evaluative and discriminative properties were analysed, and the minimal important change in the IFABI-R score was identified. RESULTS: IFABI-R showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.941), cross-sectional construct validity (correlation with the degree of child's asthma control, family functioning and parent/caregiver perception of the child's asthma symptoms), longitudinal construct validity (correlation of changes in the IFABI-R with changes in asthma control and changes in the perception of symptoms), sensitivity to change and test-retest reliability. An absolute change of 0.3 units in IFABI-R related to a minimal significant change in the parents'/caregivers' quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: IFABI-R is a reliable and valid instrument to study the quality of life of parents/caregivers of children with asthma.

[Cholestatic-type hepatitis in childhood]. / Hepatitis de tipo colestásico en la infancia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, etiology, clinical evolution and prognosis of cholestatic hepatitis during childhood. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of 145 children hospitalized for acute hepatitis between December 1983 and September 1996 were studied. Cholestatic hepatitis was defined by a direct bilirubin higher than 50% of the total bilirubin. RESULTS: Five cases were identified, which represents 3.45% of all hospitalized hepatitis cases. The average age was 8 years. Cholestatic symptomatology was predominant in all cases with bilirubin values ranging from 10.5 to 32 mg/dl. Cytolysis ranged from moderate to intense. Regarding enzymes indicating cholestasis, the most elevated was 5'nucleotidase, followed by GGT. Quick's index was abnormal in 2 cases, one of which was not corrected by vitamin K. Cholesterol, triglycerides and gamma globulins were slightly increased. In only one case was there a thickening of the wall of the vesicula, which was dilated. Three cases corresponded to hepatitis A virus, one to hepatitis B virus and SMA (smooth muscle autoantibodies) were identified in the fifth. Evolution was favorable in all patients within 8 weeks, except for a girl with subacute hepatocellular insufficiency (SMA positive) where a normal state was achieved 3 months after immunosuppression treatment was started. CONCLUSIONS: 1) Cholestatic hepatitis is an infrequent form of acute hepatitis evolution in childhood and can be promoted by hepatitis virus A or B. 2) It shows a favorable prognosis, except when it comes from a non-viral etiology.