Burden of Keloid Disease: A Cross-sectional Health-related Quality of Life Assessment

Abstract

Keloid scars may be painful, itch severely and be cosmetically disturbing. The burden of keloid disease, however, has not yet been determined. This study evaluated the association of keloid disease with health-related quality of life (HRQL) and identified indicators of burden using a cross-sectional survey study, with one disease-specific HRQL measure (Skindex-29) and 2 generic HRQL measures (SF-36 and EQ-5D-5L). A total of 106 keloid patients with no other skin diseases participated in the study. Having keloid disease was associated with a considerable impairment of emotional wellbeing, with most impairment on the emotional and mental HRQL. Pain and itch were the strongest indicators of HRQL impairment in keloid patients. Having painful or itchy keloids was related to low mental and emotional HRQL, implying that patients with keloids require access to effective treatment aimed at alleviating physical symptoms.

Massive ear keloids: Natural history, evaluation of risk factors and recommendation for preventive measures – A retrospective case series

“…The psychological stress and anxiety that is imposed on a young person by having to live with a worsened ear keloid is very real and life changing 10 . Those of us who take on the task of treating keloid patients, often teenagers and young adults, need to be very cognizant about the risks associated with the treatments that we offer to our patients.…”

Pharmacologic inhibition of JAK-STAT signaling promotes hair growth

“…Keloids are most prevalent in African American (AA) 1 and Asian populations, 2 and greatly impact quality of life. 3 Keloids show high recurrence rates and current therapies (intralesional steroids, bleomycin, surgical excision, etc.) have limited efficacy, 4 thus, presenting a high unmet need for better treatments.…”

“…The effectiveness of long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser in the treatment of venous lakes lies in the fact that its 1064 nm wavelength is preferentially absorbed by methemoglobin and has deep surface penetration of 4-7 mm. [2][3][4][5] Its photocoagulating effect allows therefore the specific targeting of the venous tissue, decreasing the possibility of relapse, and presents sufficient penetration for the treatment of deep-seated lesions. Several types of lasers have been used for the treatment of venous lakes of the lips and vascular malformations of the oral mucosa, including diode laser, 6 pulse-dye laser 7 and argon laser.…”

Massive ear keloids: Natural history, evaluation of risk factors and recommendation for preventive measures – A retrospective case series

“…Cognizant of the fact that there are patients whose keloids do not recur after surgery, we must be well aware, and acknowledge the deleterious effects of surgery, and the nightmare that is imposed on patients who end up developing large, semi-massive or massive ear keloids. The psychological stress and anxiety that is imposed on a young person by having to live with a worsened ear keloid is very real and life changing 8 .…”