Assessment of the quality of life (QoL) of patients with dermatitis and the impact of patch testing on QoL - A study of 519 patients diagnosed with dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Dermatitis can disturb the quality of life (QoL) of patients. Knowledge of the QoL-associated factors and the impact of patch testingon QoL is limited. OBJECTIVES: To identify demographic and clinical factors affecting QoL, and to measure the impact of patch testing on QoL of dermatitis patients. METHODS: The data and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaires of 519 dermatitis patients were analyzed. Of these, 107 underwent patch testing and completed the questionnaires twice (once before testing, and again 60 days afterwards). RESULTS: The overall mean DLQI was 9.5 (+/-6.4). Patients aged 20-59 years and those who had more frequent disease exacerbations demonstrated significantly higher DLQIs. For each DLQI question, being female and aged 20-59 years were associated with impairments of various aspects of life, whereas the anatomical site of dermatitis impacted each question differently. The DLQI scores of the patients undergoing patch testing decreased significantly, and irrespective of whether the test results were positive or negative. CONCLUSIONS: Being of a working age and having more frequent disease exacerbations had negative QoL impacts. In addition, patch testing improved almost every aspect of the DLQI. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.