Quality of life of Turkish children and families of Caucasian origin with atopic dermatitis

Abstract

Introduction and objectives: To determine the quality of life (QoL) in Caucasian children with atopic dermatitis (AD) and their families and possible factors that might impact their QoL. Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, 83 children aged 2–7 with AD and their families were enrolled as the study group, and 83 age-matched healthy children were included as controls. All patients in the AD and control groups were sorted into two age-based groups: (1) 2–4 and (2) 5–7 years of age. The parents of all children completed the Turkish version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL).The Family Impact Scale for Dermatological Diseases (FIS-DD) was administered to the study group. Disease severity was evaluated with the Patient-Oriented Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (PO-SCORAD) scale. Results: In both age groups, a negative correlation between the PedsQL and the FIS-DD scores (p < 0.001) was found. A positive correlation was found between the PO-SCORAD and FIS- DD scores among the second age group (p = 0.011). In the first age group, AD patients with comorbid allergic diseases had higher FIS-DD scores than those without any other allergic problems (p = 0.007). Conclusions: We suggest that considering family QoL may positively contribute to the treatment of pre-school age AD children.