Quality of Life Assessment in Children with Sickle Cell Disease Receiving Care at Federal Medical Centre Owerri, South East Nigeria

Sickle cell disease (SCD) imposes significant physical, emotional, and social burdens on affected children and their families, directly impacting quality of life (QoL). Understanding QoL dimensions in this population is essential for comprehensive care planning. This cross-sectional analytical study assesses health-related quality of life among children aged 5 to 15 years with confirmed SCD attending the haematology and paediatric clinic of Federal Medical Centre Owerri, Imo State, South East Nigeria. The PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scale and the PedsQL 3.0 Sickle Cell Disease Module were administered to 142 eligible children and their caregivers. Sociodemographic data, disease-related variables including frequency of vaso-occlusive crises and hospital admissions, and current use of hydroxyurea were also recorded. Overall mean QoL score was 54.3 out of 100, indicating significantly impaired QoL. The emotional and school functioning domains recorded the lowest scores. Children experiencing more than three pain crises in the preceding year had significantly lower total QoL scores (p less than 0.01). Hydroxyurea use was associated with improved physical functioning scores. Caregiver QoL scores mirrored child scores closely, suggesting shared distress. The study recommends routine QoL screening in SCD clinics, psychosocial support services, patient education, and school engagement programmes to address the multidimensional burden of SCD on Nigerian children. Keywords: quality of life, sickle cell disease, PedsQL, Owerri, South East Nigeria.