Introduction: Children with neurological diseases that impose severe limitations on their mobility have a deficient quality of life (QL).
Aims: To study whether the QL of such patients improves with the application of a programme of audiovisual stimulation.
Patients and methods: A prospective study was conducted on nine children, six of whom were males (mean age: 42.6 ± 28.6 months), with severely limited mobility and who had been hospitalised for long periods. Two audiovisual stimulation programmes were produced and applied, together with videos, by means of a specially designed structure. The stimulus was applied twice a day for 10 minutes over 20 days. The first ten days the stimulus was carried out in a passive manner and the second block of ten days it was performed with the guidance of the observer. Biological, behavioural and cognitive variables were recorded and an adapted QL survey was applied.
Results: Three cases of spinal muscular atrophy, two of congenital muscular dystrophy, two of myopathy and two with other conditions were diagnosed. Eight patients completed the follow-up. From the baseline point of view, they presented a regular QL (7.2 ± 1.7 points; median: 7.0; range: 6-10), which improved to good on finishing the therapy (9.4 ± 1.2 points; median: 9.0; range: 8-11), with an intra-individual difference of 2.1 ± 1.6 (median: 2.5; range: -1 to 4; CI 95% = 0.83-3.42; p = 0.006). Improved cognition and a favourable perception in the caregivers were detected. No changes took place in the biological or behavioural variables.
Conclusions: Audiovisual stimulation can be used to enhance the quality of life of children with severely limited mobility.
Title: Estimulacion audiovisual en niños con limitacion grave de la motricidad: mejora su calidad de vida?
Introduccion. Los niños con enfermedades neurologicas que condicionan una limitacion grave de la movilidad tienen una calidad de vida (CV) deficiente. Objetivo. Estudiar si la CV de dichos pacientes mejora con la aplicacion de un programa de estimulacion audiovisual. Pacientes y metodos. Estudio prospectivo en nueve niños, seis de ellos varones (edad media: 42,6 ± 28,6 meses), con limitacion grave de la movilidad, hospitalizados de manera prolongada. Se elaboraron dos programas de estimulo audiovisual que, junto con videos, se aplicaron mediante una estructura especialmente diseñada. La frecuencia fue de dos veces al dia, por 10 minutos, durante 20 dias. Los primeros diez dias se llevo a cabo de manera pasiva y los segundos diez con guia del observador. Se registraron variables biologicas, conductuales, cognitivas y se aplico una encuesta de CV adaptada. Resultados. Se diagnosticaron tres casos de atrofia muscular espinal, dos de distrofia muscular congenita, dos de miopatia y dos con otros diagnosticos. Ocho pacientes completaron el seguimiento. Desde el punto de vista basal, presentaron CV regular (7,2 ± 1,7 puntos; mediana: 7,0; rango: 6-10), que mejoraba a buena al finalizar (9,4 ± 1,2 puntos; mediana: 9,0; rango: 8-11), con diferencia intraindividual de 2,1 ± 1,6 (mediana: 2,5; rango: –1 a 4; IC 95% = 0,83-3,42; p = 0,006). Se detecto mejoria en cognicion y percepcion favorable de los cuidadores. No hubo cambio en las variables biologicas ni conductuales. Conclusion. Mediante la estimulacion audiovisual es posible mejorar la calidad de vida de niños con limitacion grave de la movilidad.