Abstract
BackgroundPost kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a dermatological disorder caused by protozoal parasite Leishmania donovani. PKDL cases are thought to be a reservoir of parasites and may increase cases of visceral leishmaniasis. The disease is not life threatening but cosmetic disfigurement associated with it may impair the patients’ quality of life. This study aimed to assess the health related quality of life in patients with post kalaazar dermal leishmanasis for the first time.MethodsA total of 92 PKDL cases and 96 healthy participants filled out the questionnaires. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and SF 36 questionnaire were used to assess the quality of life. Data on socio-demographic and clinical features were also collected. The collected data were analyzed by using SPSS software (version 16), Student’s t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied for comparison of means.ResultsPKDL patients experienced very large impact on their quality of life. The mean score of DLQI was 11.41. Highest impact was found in symptoms and feelings and lowest impact was observed for personal relationship domain. Patients below 20 years age group found to have lower quality of life. There was a significant difference in mean DLQI scores with regard to age and severity of lesions (P < 0.05). No significant difference was observed with respect to gender, duration and location of lesions (p > 0.05).ConclusionPKDL significantly impaired the patient’s quality of life. Further studies to assess the impact of treatment on quality of life in these patients are recommended.
Highlights
Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a dermatological disorder caused by protozoal parasite Leishmania donovani
The present study has shown that the quality of life is highly impaired in patients with PKDL especially symptoms, feelings and treatment domain
A dermatologist should consider the psychological aspects of the disease in conjugation with therapeutic intervention to formulate an effective patient care management plan for PKDL
Summary
Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a dermatological disorder caused by protozoal parasite Leishmania donovani. Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by protozoa that belongs to the genus Leishmania. This is one of the most neglected diseases. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL)/ Kala-azar is one of the World’s most neglected and poverty-related diseases, affecting the poorest people in developing countries associated with malnutrition, weakness of the immune. Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a dermatological complication occurring among the treated visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients and among those without a history of VL. Prevalence of confirmed PKDL cases in Bihar, India is found to be 4.4/10,000 and 7.8/10,000 including probable cases [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
