Impact on the quality of life of dermatological patients in southern Brazil.

BACKGROUNDS: Skin diseases are extremely frequent and may affect quality of life; therefore, it is important to assess it and identify which factors are associated with it.

OBJECTIVES

To assess quality of life and its associated factors in dermatological patients.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study involving a sample of 548 patients seen at the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic of Sistema Único de Saúde (the Brazilian National Public Health System), University Hospital, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Information related to socio-demographic data, medical consultation and quality of life was collected by means of the Dermatology Life Quality Index.

RESULTS

A median of 7 and a mean of 7.7 (SD = 5.0) were obtained with the Dermatology Life Quality Index. The skin diseases with higher scores on the Dermatology Life Quality Index were psoriasis (median = 15.5), vitiligo (median = 13), atopic dermatitis (median = 12) and acne (median = 10). With respect to factors associated with quality of life, it was found that younger, single patients with a low income, one skin disease and longer disease duration presented poorer quality of life.

CONCLUSION

The assessment of the impact of dermatoses on patients' quality of life is important for clinical management. It is essential to detect patients at higher risk of experiencing worse quality of life in order to treat them in a more integrated way.