Abstract
Skin diseases have caused a heavy burden on the infected population worldwide. This study aimed to examine the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among patients with different skin diseases and identify associated factors. A cross-sectional study with 430 participants was conducted at the Vietnam National Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology (NHD) from September to November 2018. The EuroQol-5 Dimensions-5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L) instrument was employed, which measures the EQ-5D index from five domains including mobility, self-care, usual activity, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Multivariate Tobit regression was adopted to determine factors that were associated with HRQOL (EQ-5D index). The rate of atopic dermatitis was the highest with 28.8%, following by contact dermatitis (17.0%) and skin fungal infections (13.0%). Regarding HRQOL, anxiety/depression was the most common health problem in patients with skin diseases (71.8%), following by pain/discomfort (63.6%). The mean EQ-5D index score was 0.73 (SD = 0.19). The lowest EQ-5D index scores were obtained for females with skin infections (mean = 0.52) and for males with psoriasis (mean = 0.59). Females had significantly lower scores compared to males (Coef. = −0.06; 95% CI = −0.11 to −0.01). Higher income and living in rural areas were also negatively correlated with the EQ-5D index. This study demonstrated the low HRQOL among patients with skin diseases in Vietnam and emphasized the vulnerability of patients with different socioeconomic statuses to their HRQOL.
Highlights
Skin diseases have been causing heavy burden all over the world regardless of age and gender, especially in tropical regions [1]
Dermatitis accounts for the highest burden compared to other skin diseases with 0.38% of total disease burdens globally, following by acne vulgaris (0.29%), psoriasis (0.19%), and urticaria (0.19%) [2]
We conducted a cross-sectional study at the outpatient clinic in the Vietnam National Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology (NHD) during the period of September–November 2018
Summary
Skin diseases have been causing heavy burden all over the world regardless of age and gender, especially in tropical regions [1]. According to The Global Burden of Disease project, skin diseases were estimated to cause 41.6 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)—equivalent to 1.79% of the total burden of diseases [2], ranking the fourth among causes of non-fatal morbidity worldwide [3]. Dermatitis accounts for the highest burden compared to other skin diseases with 0.38% of total disease burdens globally, following by acne vulgaris (0.29%), psoriasis (0.19%), and urticaria (0.19%) [2]. Skin diseases cause a wide range of detrimental effects on all aspects of a patient’s life. They may suffer from physical impairment, psychological distress, and even mortality [5]. Severe skin-related symptoms on the face and body can deteriorate self-esteem and self-confidence of patients, which significantly affect their involvement in social activities [8,9,10]
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