Quality of life of children with cerebral palsy treated with botulinum toxin: are well-being measures appropriate?

• Published in: Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria Vol. 66; no. 3B; pp. 652 - 658
• Main Authors: Assis, Taísa R Simões de, Forlin, Edilson, Bruck, Isac, Antoniuk, Sérgio A, dos Santos, Lúcia H Coutinho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: Brazil Academia Brasileira de Neurologia - ABNEURO 2008
• Subjects: Adolescent; Botulinum Toxins, Type A - therapeutic use; Cerebral Palsy - drug therapy; Cerebral Palsy - psychology; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Infant; Male; Neuromuscular Agents - therapeutic use; NEUROSCIENCES; PSYCHIATRY; Quality of Life; Severity of Illness Index; Surveys and Questionnaires; paralisia cerebral; questionários de qualidade de vida; toxina botulínica do tipo A; cerebral palsy; qualidade de vida; questionnaires of quality of life; quality of life; botulinum toxin type A
• ISSN: 0004-282X; 1678-4227; 1678-4227; 0004-282X
• DOI: 10.1590/S0004-282X2008000500009

To analyze quality of life (QOL) of children with cerebral palsy (CP) treated with botulinum toxin type A (BTXA). Two QOL evaluation tools, translated into Portuguese, were used: Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) and Child's Caregiver Questionnaire (CCQ). Questionnaires were answered by caregivers on two occasions. Patients were divided into 3 groups: I--patients who had been previously treated with BTXA and who underwent a session of BTXA; II--patients who used BTXA for the first time; III--patients previously treated with BTXA but did not in this interval. Sixty-eight patients were evaluated. In group I (n=26) the functional ability had improvement for all types of CP (p=0.04), and tetraplegic increased interaction/communication (p=0.02). In group II (n=14) positioning improved (p=0.02). Group III (n=28) showed no change in QOL. PODCI and CCQ are able to capture outcome in children with CP.