The Role of Therapy in Impairing Quality of Life in Dermatological Patients: A Multinational Study

Flora Balieva, Andrew Y. Finlay, Joerg Kupfer, Lucia Tomas-Aragones, Lars Lien, Uwe Gieler, Francoise Poot, Gregor B.E. Jemec, Laurent Misery, L Kemeny, Francesca Sampogna, Henriët Van Middendorp, Jon Anders Halvorsen, T Ternowitz, Jacek C. Szepietowski, N Potekaev, SE Marron, Ilknur K. Altunay, Mir-Saeed Shayegan Salek, Florence Dalgard

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)
22 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Skin disease and its therapy affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study was to measure the burden caused by dermatological therapy in 3,846 patients from 13 European countries. Adult outpatients completed questionnaires, including the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), which has a therapy impact question. Therapy issues were reported by a majority of patients with atopic dermatitis (63.4%), psoriasis (60.7%), prurigo (54.4%), hidradenitis suppurativa (54.3%) and blistering conditions (53%). The largest reduction in HRQoL attributable to therapy, as a percentage of total DLQI, adjusted for confounders, was seen in blistering conditions (10.7%), allergic/drug reactions (10.2%), psoriasis (9.9%), vasculitis/immunological ulcers (8.8%), atopic dermatitis (8.7%), and venous leg ulcers (8.5%). In skin cancer, although it had less impact on HRQoL, the reduction due to therapy was 6.8%. Treatment for skin disease contributes considerably to reducing HRQoL: the burden of dermatological treatment should be considered when planning therapy and designing new dermatological therapies.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)563-569
Number of pages7
JournalActa Dermato-Venereologica
Volume98
Issue number6
Early online date2 Mar 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 Jun 2018

Keywords

  • Burden of skin disease
  • DLQI
  • Dermatological therapy
  • HRQoL
  • Quality of life
  • Therapy burden

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Role of Therapy in Impairing Quality of Life in Dermatological Patients: A Multinational Study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this