The treatment of the celiac disease implies lifelong alimentary restrictions, with impact on social and family activities. Therefore, it is important to consider the health-related quality of life (HRQL) in the approach.
Objective: To validate the Argentinian version of the specific tool CDDUX in order to measure HRQL in children and adolescents with celiac disease.
Methods: In this prospective and transversal investigation, children and adolescents from 8 to 18 years-old who attended the "Prof Dr. J P Garrahan" Hospital and their father or tutor were recruited, between June 2009 and May 2010. Participants were given the informed consent sheet, the Argentinian version of CDDUX, a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the PedsQL 4.0, generic questionnaire. Sociodemographic data were also registered.
Results: We included 193 patients, female 56.5%, with these age categories: 8 to 11 years-old 48.7%, 12 to 15 years-old 43%, 16 to 18 years-old 8.3%. Schooling was below the standard level in children in 23.4% of cases, primary school incomplete in adults in 11.4%. Socioeconomic status was poor in 24.4% of cases and indigent in 4.7%. Unsatisfied basic needs were observed in 41.5% of patients. The feasibility was: average filling time: 4 minutes in children and parents. All completed the questionnaire. Without help: 91.7% in children and 79.8% in parents. The reliability was: Cronbach alpha's internal consistency 0.84 in children and 0.88 in parents. The construction validity was: moderate correlation between CDDUX and PedsQL (P < 0.001), low between parents and children in CDDUX (P < 0.001), moderate and negative between CDDUX and VAS (P < 0.001). Scores of CDDUX were lower in poor people and significant for parents (P = 0.04). Higher scores of CDDUX were observed in those patients who complied with the gluten-free diet (P < 0001). Conclusion. The Argentinian version of CDDUX was both feasible and easy to administer in the studied population. It shows good psychometric properties in children and parents.