Evaluation of the quality of life in patients with arsenic keratosis

Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic is an important public health problem and leads to hyperpigmentation, hyperkeratosis, Bowen's disease and non-melanoma skin cancers in humans. Arsenic keratosis is the most common skin change that is associated with arsenic exposure. It may be an indicator...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cutaneous and ocular toxicology 2018-06, Vol.37 (2), p.167-171
Main Authors: Namdar, Nazli Dizen, Arikan, Inci, Kahraman, Cuneyt, Kocaturk, Emek, Dagci, Merve, Ece, Ezgi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Anxiety
Arsenic Poisoning
Depression
Female
Humans
Keratosis
Male
Middle Aged
Pain Measurement
Quality of Life
Young Adult
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Summary:Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic is an important public health problem and leads to hyperpigmentation, hyperkeratosis, Bowen's disease and non-melanoma skin cancers in humans. Arsenic keratosis is the most common skin change that is associated with arsenic exposure. It may be an indicator of arsenic induced health hazards. To determine the needs of patients with arsenic keratosis by evaluating the impact of disease on the quality of life with respect to treatment and provide rehabilitation services. A total of 47 subjects with arsenic hyperkeratosis, were enrolled in this crossover study. The demographics, smoking status and the presence of chronic diseases diagnosed by the physician were recorded. Weight and height of the subjects were measured and BMI was calculated. The patients were asked to respond the visual analogue scale and EuroQoL-5D scales for assessing the pain and quality of life impairment associated with arsenic hyperkeratosis. In the study group, moderate to severe problems were reported in 78.7% of patients for pain/uncomfortable condition domains and in 91.5% in anxiety/depression domains. Lower quality of life was reported in those with associated chronic disorders, at an advanced age, in thin patients and in those with severe lesions. According to our knowledge, our study is the first one measuring the quality of life in patients with arsenic keratosis in the literature. By this study, we tried to underline the guidance of health services to be developed towards the needs of patients and the need for the development of new health policies by determining the requirements of these patients.
ISSN:1556-9527
1556-9535
DOI:10.1080/15569527.2017.1364261