Background: Recent studies have focused on the quality of life (QOL) in patients with dermatological diseases. Vitiligo is an acquired pigmentary disorder that affects at least I% of the general population, and may considerably affect QOL. The objective of this study was to assess QOL in a group of vitiligo patients from Sohag Governorate, Upper Egypt, and to determine its relationship with clinical characteristics.
Study Design: A prospective study.
Methods: Two hundred vitiligo patients from Sohag Governorate were interviewed using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaire. The DLQI score was calculated by summing the scores of all questions with a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 30. The DLQI scores ranging from 0-1 indicated no effect at all on patient's QOL, from 2-5 indicated mild effect, from 6-10 indicated moderate effect, from 1 1-20 indicated severe effect, and from
21-30 indicated extremely severe effect on patient's QOL.
Results: In this study, QOL was impaired in 181 (90.5%) of vitiligo patients. The mean DLQJ score was 8.02 ± 5.5. The DLQ[ scores were positively correlated with disease extension (r =0.3 and P < 0.000 l) and visibility of lesions (r =0.4 and p< 0.000 l ). However, DLQJ scores were not significantly correlated with the duration of the disease.
Conclusion: This study indicated that vitiligo has a negative impact on QOL in patients from Upper Egypt. A team approach including dermatologist and psychiatrists is warranted to help patients overcome the problem and cope with its psychological effects.