Psychologic aspects of Dupuytren's disease: a new scale of subjective well-being of patients.

INTRODUCTION

Dupuytren's disease usually appears in middle-age patients and is more prevalent in men than women (2-10 times less often than in men). Dupuytren's disease may accompany diabetes, smoking, alcoholism, HIV, and epilepsy. There is no cure for this disease. The disease causes a remarkable worsening of the quality of life resulting mainly from two factors: reduced physical performance or disability, and disfigurement.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

We studied 38 patients suffering from Dupuytrens's disease. The study was done in 2007-2008 at the Second Department of Surgery of the Jagiellonian University. We used the Dupuytrens disease scale of subjective well being of patients (DDSP) questionnaire covering four areas of the quality of life.

RESULTS

Blue-collar workers experienced more severe problems at work than white-collar workers.

CONCLUSION

There were no differences between location of the disease in left- and right-handed patients.