Dermatoses in the hospital and their impact on quality of life

Abstract

Sir, Dermatological pathologies may be responsible for the creation of a real handicap, affecting the patient’s self-esteem and their professional and social life. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of diseases on the quality of life of patients hospitalized at the dermatology department. The following was a retrospective study that included patients over eighteen years of age, hospitalized at the dermatology department of Hospital Mohammed VI in Oujda from January 2018 through December 2019. The Arabic version of the validated DLQI was used for all patients [1]. A total of 294 patients were collected, with a mean age of 53.95 years and a male-to-female ratio of 0.85. The most frequent reasons for hospitalization were infectious dermo-hypodermitis (n = 51), autoimmune bullous dermatosis (n = 23), severe drug eruption (n = 20), genodermatosis (n = 17), melanocytic (n = 9) and non-melanocytic skin tumors (n = 17), severe psoriasis (n = 17), cutaneous lymphoma (n = 11), alopecia areata (n = 10), dermatomyositis (n = 8), and Verneuil’s disease (n = 5). The DLQI was impossible to calculate in eleven patients. The mean DLQI in all patients was 10.20, corresponding to a moderate effect on quality of life. The mean DLQI was as follows: Verneuil’s disease at 17.4, severe psoriasis at 16.6, dermatomyositis at 14.42, genodermatosis at 12.37, cutaneous lymphoma at 11.45, severe drug eruption at 11, alopecia areata at 10.5, AIBD at 9.67, skin tumors at 7.76, and infectious dermo-hypodermitis at 7.52. The DLQI was the first index measuring quality of life in dermatology and is still widely used today[2]. The number of publications concerning the impact of dermatological pathologies on quality of life has increased in recent years [3]. Our results showed that the DLQI was higher in patients with Verneuil’s disease, severe psoriasis, and dermatomyositis. These results agree with the data of the literature, many publications have shown that psoriasis seriously impaired the quality of life and was responsible of social anxiety in patients [4]. Verneuil’s disease is also responsible of a significant impairment on quality of life mainly due to the sexual disorders caused by this pathology [5]. Another study on dermatomyositis showed that there is a significant correlation between the severity of skin signs and the quality of life of patients [6]. Dermatological pathologies are distinguished from other pathologies by their displaying character, which is responsible for a significant impact on the patient’s quality of life. The management of dermatology patients requires psychological support in addition to conventional therapy. However, these pathologies are still not recognized as long-term illnesses in Morocco.

Vitiligo and quality of life: On fifty cases in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

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Cardiovascular comorbidities in patients with a severe form of psoriasis: A case-controlled study assessing clinical, biochemical, and radiological parameters

“…The disease effect on the quality of life (severity score > 10) was assessed by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). A self-assessment sheet formulated by Cardiff University, was employed after obtaining the necessary permissions [15]. Clinical parameters, including systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressures (DBP), height, weight, and waist circumference, were measured.…”