[Assessment of life quality in children with spina bifida].

The aim of the study was identification and assessment of factors influencing quality of life in children with spina bifida. There were 33 children in the study (19 girls and 14 boys) in the age from 5 to 20 years. They were divided into 2 groups: first in the age from 5 to 12 years (17 patients) and second in the age from 13 to 20 years (16 patients). The Health-related Quality of Life in Spina Bifida Questionnaire and questionnaire done by us were used for the study. Younger children had average score of 158 points and older children average 186 points. In the whole group 64% of children assessed they quality of life as good, 30% as very good, 6% as average. None of our patients think that they quality of life is poor or very poor. Presence of visual perception difficulties in younger group and non-ambulation in alder children is related to poorer assessment of quality of life. Alder children that live in a house had better assessment of quality of life than children living in blocks of flats. Vast majority of children with spina bifida have good specialist medical care. Most common concomitant diseases are hydrocephalus and neurogenic urinary bladder.