A STUDY OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND BURDEN ON THE FAMILY IN CONTACT DERMATITIS.

DR SHILPA SONI

DEPT OF SKIN & VDMGMCH, JAIPUR.

INTRODUCTIONChronic skin diseases are among the most

common health problems worldwide and are

associated with a considerable burden and

impact over the quality of life of the person.

[1].

Quality of lifeThe term QOL is broad & is composed of

various domains like[2]

- physical well being,

- functional status,

- psychological well being,

- social functioning &

- health perceptions.

Burden on the familyThe burden of skin diseases is a multi

dimensional concept that encompasses[3]

financial burden

disturbed family routine

effect on : family leisure, family interaction, physical

health of other family members

effect on mental health of other members of the

patient.

Skin diseases are not usually life threatening,

however it is well known that the quality of patient's

life is affected and many factors including physiologic

and psychological factors contribute to this

impairment.[4]

Contact dermatitis is also one of dermatological

condition that hampers not only quality of individuals

life but also is a burden on the family.

The impact of Contact Dermatitis (CD) is

often underestimated[5]

Not life-threatening

minor degrees of contact dermatitis are accepted as

“part of the daily life”.

Being a chronic condition, Contact Dermatitis

can have profound effects on QOL and increase

burden[5]

Need to change occupation

Take prolonged sick leave

Limit leisure activities

Reduced ability or inability to perform household chores

Necessity to pursue time-consuming treatment

AimEvaluate impact of Contact Dermatitis on

QoL of affected individual.

Evaluate impact of Contact Dermatitis on

burden on family of affected individual.

Material and Methods- The study was conducted at M.G.M.C.H.,

Jaipur over a period of 6 months.

- Inclusion criteria:

Patients with history of dermatits of more than 6

months.

Patients of age group 18 – 60 years

Patients with positive patch test

Personal identification data and socio-

demographic data were collected from

subjects by using WHOQOL-BREF (Hindi

version) questionnaire.

‘Burden on the Family scale’ was applied to

find out the burden on the subject’s family.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

FGJJKBJHK

GENDER TOTAL PERCENTAGE

MALE 28 56%

FEMALE 22 44%

The male : female ratio = 1.3 : 1

The majority of our patients belong to the middle-age group i.e. 31 years to 50 years

Age group No. of patients %

20Y-30Y 11 22%

31Y-40Y 17 34%

41Y-50Y 17 34%

51Y-60Y 5 10%

Maximum patients in our study are married (96%)

MARITAL STATUS

Married 48 96%

Unmarried 2 4%

Separated / widow 0 0%

Majority of patients are literate.

EDUCATION

Illiterate 9 18%

UP TO 5th class 4 8%

5th – 10th 2 4%

10th -12th 8 16%

Graduate 27 54%

Maximum population is working population

OCCUPATION

UNEMPLOYED 11 22%

SEMISKILLED 7 14%

FARMER 8 16%

STUDENTS 7 14%

SKILLED 9 18%

SERVICE 8 16%

Most of the patients belong to middle-class families.

INCOME

UP TO 1000-5000 11 22%

5001-10000 20 40%

10001-20000 12 24%

MORE THAN 20000 7 14%

RESULT

QOL Median = 19

QOL scores no. of patients %

Low QOL 17 34%

Average QOL 19 38%

High QOL 14 28%

QOL is impaired in females as compared to males

QOL scores Total Male (28) Female(22)

Low QOL 17 7 (25%) 10 (45%)

Average QOL 19 12 (43%) 7 (32%)

High QOL 14 9 (32%) 5 (23%)

The burden on the family is mild to moderate in most of the patients.

BOF No. of patients

0-20 no/minimal 20 40%

21-40 mild – moderate

28 56%

41-60 moderate – sever

2 4%

> 60 severe 0 0%

DISCUSSIONIn our study of 50 patients of chronic contact

dermatitis, we found that QOL is average (19).

Our data showed female with chronic dermatitis had

poorer quality of life than male patients did. (Marjan Anvar et. al Effect of Convenient Dermatologic

intervention on Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Eczematous Dermatitis Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (IJPBS), Volume 4, Number 2, Autumn and Winter 2010: 47-50

Moreover, they showed significant impairment in their

daily activities.

These results are in line with previous studies

supporting the gender difference in

psychological reactions to chronic skin

disease(5,6).

The main finding of this study is that a dual

psycho-dermatological treatment

significance. In conclusion, chronic contact

dermatitis has significant effect on quality of

life.

The burden on the family is mild – moderate

& none of the patient had severe.

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3. Chren MM, Weinstock MA. Conceptual issues in measuring the

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100(2004)

4. Aberer E, Riedl A. Stigmatization. Consideration from a

theologicaldermatologic perspective Hautarzt 2004; 55(12): 1168-71.

5. R. Skoet, R. Zachariae, and T. Agner, “Contact dermatitis and

quality of life: a structured review of the literature,” British

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Quality of life with vitiligo: comparison of male and female

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