The Impact of Recurrent Epistaxis on the Quality of Life of Children and the Functioning of Their Families

Introduction Epistaxis, or nosebleeds, is a common pediatric emergency, impacting their quality of life (QoL). Existing research on epistaxis has predominantly focused on clinical aspects, overlooking its broader impact on the quality of life of affected children and the functioning of their families. This study seeks to fill that gap by assessing the impact of recurrent epistaxis on children's QoL, family dynamics, and parental stress in Saudi Arabia's Eastern region. Methods A survey was conducted involving 168 parents of children with recurrent epistaxis, using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory^TM (PedsQL 4.0^TM) Short Form (SF) for QoL assessment across different age groups, the PedsQL 2.0 Family Impact Module to evaluate the effect of the child's health on family dynamics, and a custom questionnaire for gathering sociodemographic and health-related information. Better QoL and family functioning were indicated by higher scores. Results Recurrent epistaxis was more frequent (>4 times per year) in 58.9% of cases, with unknown causes in 72%. A total of 116 (69%) of the children never needed medical intervention for epistaxis and 52 (31%) visited ER 1-2 times. The lowest scores for both children and parents were in the emotional functioning domains (77.9 and 78.2, respectively). In the study, both parents and children who had no history of ER visits exhibited significantly higher quality of life (QoL) scores compared to those who did, with parents reporting 83.7% versus 77.2% (P=.022), and children showing 84.6% versus 79.9% (P=.049), respectively. Parents of older children, ages 13-18 years, reported a higher Quality of Life (QoL) at 83.9%, compared to those with younger children, ages 2-4 years, who reported a QoL of 57.3% (P=.003). Conclusion The overall QoL scores of families of children with recurrent epistaxis were relatively high, indicating a variable and limited general impact. Significantly higher QoL was observed in families of older children and those without ER visits.