Objective-To measure the health related quality of life (QoL) following mit
ral valve replacement in childhood.
Design-Cross sectional study.
Setting-Tertiary referral centre.
Methods-19 patients, median age (range) 14.4 (9.7-25.4) years, were studied
at a median of 7.6 (0.5-11.2) years after their most recent mitral valve r
eplacement. General health status was measured using age specific validated
questionnaires. Ten children aged between 9-15 years completed the child h
ealth related quality of life questionnaire, and for nine older patients th
e UI( version of the short form 36 was used. Specific questions were added
to the existing questionnaires to study the effect of long term anticoagula
tion treatment.
Results-All patients in the younger age group reported impaired QoL. Five r
ated their QoL within the range of children with chronic physical disabilit
ies, and in the remaining five it was worse. In the older age group, all bu
t two patients perceived their QoL as normal or near normal compared with a
reference population matched for sex and age. Having regular blood tests h
ad a negative effect on QoL in three young children, and one older patient
reported impaired QoL related to taking daily warfarin tablets.
Conclusions-In this small group, the effect of mitral valve replacement on
QoL appears to be age specific, with more impairment in younger children. L
ong term anticoagulation treatment is well tolerated in most patients.