Quality Of Life And The Influencing Factors In Patients With Velopharyngeal Insufficiency

Objective: In order to understand the quality of life of patients with velopharyngeal insufficiency,explore its influencing factors,and provide a theoretical basis for improving the quality of life of patients with velopharyngeal insufficiency.Methods: Seventy-two patients with velopharyngeal insufficiency in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People’s Hospital was selected as the study subjects.The Chinese version velopharyngeal insuficiency effects on life outcomes instrument was used for questionnaire investigation.According to the patient’s gender,age,age at initial cleft lip repair,age at initial cleft palate repair and number of surgeries,the total scores and subscores of the velopharyngeal insuficiency effects on life outcomes instrument were compared by Mann-Whitney U test,and Spearman correlation analysis and generalized linear mixed model was performed on the influencing factors the quality of life and the total scores and subscores of the velopharyngeal insuficiency effects on life outcomes instrument.Results:There was no significant differences between different genders and age at initial cleft lip repair and velopharyngeal insuficiency effects on life outcomes instrument the total scores and subscores(P>0.05).Patients aged 8 years or less,those aged >8 years obtained significantly higher the total scores and scores of the velopharyngeal insuficiency effects on life outcomes instrument in the speech limitations,situational difficulty,perception by others,and caregiver impact domains(P<0.05).The scores in the caregiver impact domain for patients who underwent initial cleft palate repair at ≤2 years old were significantly higher than those for patients who underwent initial cleft palate repair at >2 years of age(P<0.05).The second surgeries were associated with a higher quality of life in the swallowing problems domain than the first surgery.The second surgeries were also associated with a higher quality of life in the situational difficulty domain than the third surgeries(P<0.05).Conclusion: Low-age patients with velopharyngeal insufficiency need more support and attention,and more attention should be paid to their speech and psychological problems.The patient’s age,age at initial cleft palate repair and the number of surgeries are important factors that affect the quality of life of patients with velopharyngeal insufficiency.