Quality of Life in Swedish Children with Eczema

Abstract

The burdens of childhood eczema are many and some can be assessed with quality of life (QoL) questionnaires. Seventy-eight Swedish children with mild-to-severe eczema ("atopic dermatitis", prurigo Besnier), fulfilling established diagnostic criteria, were investigated for the effect of eczema on QoL. This was measured with validated questionnaires: the Infants' Dermatitis Quality of Life Index (IDQOL), the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI), and the Dermatitis Family Impact Questionnaire (DFI). The study also included scoring of eczema severity. The median score was 7.0 (range 1-18) for IDQOL, 6.0 (range 2-18) for the CDLQI, and 8.0 (range 0-27) for DFI. There was no significant difference in scores between boys and girls. The DFI scores were higher for younger than for older children, and also higher for those with both eczema and asthma, food allergy/intolerance, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis or urticaria. The QoL scores correlated significantly with the Rajka & Langeland score, but not with objective SCORAD. The outcome of the QoL instruments in this study clearly demonstrates that childhood eczema affects the children's and their families' QoL. QoL data offers a patient-oriented outcome measure of importance for understanding the patients' and their families' situation. Such information can also be used in intervention studies and in the allocation of healthcare resources to eczema care.

Atopic Dermatitis in Cameroon: Quality of Life and Psychiatric Comorbidities among Affected Children and Adolescents Running Head: Atopic Dermatitis and Psychiatric Impairments

“…Impairment of the QoL of children and families found in our study was equally found by other studies on samples of 42 and 78 children with AD [18]. The association between AD severity and QoL of children and families in our series aligns with previous observations [19][20][21].…”

Qualidade de vida em pacientes pediátricos com dermatite atópica

“…30 In a study carried out in for the impact on quality of life. 22 In the results for the IDQOL control group, the highest scores were for itching and problems related to treatment, but the scores in these domains were significantly lower than for the patients with AD. The presence of dermatoses with itching and physical discomfort, such as scabies, miliaria and impetigo, among patients in the control group may explain these results.…”

“…Notwithstanding the limitations described, the profile described here is compatible with the majority of AD patients in other studies. 21,22 The comparison between clinical disease severity and parent-assessed severity indicated a weak correlation with mild and moderate forms of the disease. 25 There was also a significant impact on the quality of life of our study population in the domain covering the influence of AD on mood.…”

Quality of life in pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis

“…A restrição do estudo aos pacientes do SUS também representa uma limitação, pois não permitiu a inserção de pacientes de níveis socioeconômicos superiores. Em contrapartida às referidas limitações, cumpre destacar que o perfil estudado é compatível com a maioria dos pacientes com DA de outros estudos 21,22 .…”

“…As questões de menor impacto referem-se à interferência da DA nas atividades familiares e ao desconforto ao vestir e despir a criança 21,22 . No presente estudo, o domínio do IDQOL que apresentou maiores escores foi também aquele relacionado ao prurido, estando em concordância com a literatura mundial, que considera bem estabelecida a correlação entre prurido e qualidade de vida.…”