Predictors of perceived stress, perceived stigmatization, and body dysmorphia in patients with chronic prurigo/prurigo nodularis: Results from an observational cross-sectional multicenter European study in 17 countries.

BACKGROUND

Anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation are frequent in patients with chronic prurigo (CPG).

OBJECTIVE

To analyze perceived stress, stigmatization, body dysmorphia, anxiety, depression and itch-related quality of life in CPG patients and compare them to controls, and then to identify variables/predictors of them.

METHODS

This study is part of a cross-sectional multicenter study in 17 European countries including 5487 consecutive patients and 2808 controls.

RESULTS

One hundred twenty-seven individuals with prurigo were included in the analyses. They reported higher levels of stress, stigmatization, and body dysmorphia than controls. In the patient group, stigmatization was associated with higher stress and having a severe disease, stress with younger age and lower income, depression and anxiety with lower income and higher itch intensity, body dysmorphia with younger age, and dissatisfaction with appearance.

LIMITATIONS: CPG patients were older than controls and had significantly more comorbidities. However, multivariate analysis allowed controlling for these differences by including them as a covariate.

CONCLUSION

CPG patients have high levels of perceived stress, perceived stigmatization and body dysmorphic, which are partly related to sociodemographic factors like younger age or lower income as well as to other psychological and disease-related factors.