Hirschsprung’s disease (HD) is a developmental disorder which can cause severe constipation.

The goal of a recent study published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery was to measure quality of life (QoL) outcomes in HD children.

This prospective cohort study selected pediatric patients with HD managed at a large tertiary pediatric institution, between 2004 and 2013. Parents of these children completed a validated questionnaires; the results were compared with those of healthy population controls.

The findings revealed that 78% of these patients had rectosigmoid disease. HD patients also exhibited significant reduction in psychosocial (social and emotional) QoL when compared to healthy children. Meanwhile, psychosocial functioning was found to be affected by increasing age, fecal incontinence, constipation, and dysfunctional elimination. Furthermore, fecal incontinence also reduced physical functioning QoL.

Therefore, it was inferred that HD children have significant reductions in psychosocial QoL and functional outcomes.