RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To assess quality of life of children and teenagers with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, according to the evidence of infection by human papillomavirus types 6 and 11, compared with healthy volunteers and patients with chronic otitis media. METHOD: Participants and their parents completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0. RESULTS: Patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis and their parents reported lower quality of life than healthy subjects (p < 0.01), but similar quality of life to patients with chronic otitis media. Those with human papillomavirus type 11 showed the lowest scores among all participants (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Young Mexican patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis and their parents perceive a poor quality of life, and they may experience limitations in interactions with their peers. Infection by human papillomavirus type 11 may increase the impact of the disease on quality of life.
Assuntos
Infecções por Papillomavirus/psicologia , Qualidade de Vida , Infecções Respiratórias/psicologia , Adolescente , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Criança , Doença Crônica , Feminino , Papillomavirus Humano 11 , Papillomavirus Humano 6 , Humanos , Masculino , México , Recidiva Local de Neoplasia/psicologia , Otite Média/psicologia , Infecções por Papillomavirus/virologia , Pais/psicologia , Recidiva , Infecções Respiratórias/virologia , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
Beliefs about child illness were investigated using semi-structured interviews with mothers and providers in four rural Guatemalan communities. The two most common forms of child illness in Guatemala--diarrhoea and respiratory disease--were focused upon. These illnesses are particularly difficult to prevent and treat, especially with the rudimentary health services available in rural areas of developing countries. Comparisons with other ethnographic studies in Guatemala suggest that some traditional models of illness causation identified in these earlier investigations are relatively unimportant in the communities studied here. This finding, in conjunction with frequent responses related to hygiene and water, suggests that traditional explanations may be co-existing with biomedical views of illness causation to a greater degree today than in the past.
Assuntos
Cultura , Diarreia/etiologia , Infecções Respiratórias/etiologia , Saúde da População Rural , Criança , Diarreia/psicologia , Feminino , Guatemala , Humanos , Higiene , Mães/psicologia , Infecções Respiratórias/psicologiaRESUMO
Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are among the principal causes of childhood morbidity and mortality in Latin America. In Guatemala, pneumonia is the leading cause of death in young children and is responsible for approximately one-third of the out-patient visits to pediatric services. A large proportion of these deaths result from deficient management, attributable to a failure to recognize the first signs of pneumonia, the presence of barriers that impede immediate care-seeking, consultation with unsuitable providers, or inappropriate treatment recommendations. The purpose of this brief qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions and behaviors with respect to ARI of the residents of San Juan Comalapa, a Kaqchiquel community in the central highlands of Guatemala. Thirty-two mothers were interviewed in their homes to determine how they classified ARI and what signs and symptoms made them seek medical attention immediately. The results revealed that the mothers could recognize the presence of rapid breathing but not that of chest retraction (two important signs of pneumonia). When they sought care for the child, they usually went to physicians or other providers at health centers and occasionally at private clinics, but rarely did they seek care at an early stage of the illness, owing to poor accessibility of the services and underestimation of the severity of the symptoms. This conduct can be modified by education. The authors make recommendations aimed at improving verbal communication between health care providers and mothers.