Quality of life among Malaysian patients with vitiligo

Background  Vitiligo is a chronic disease and can have significant impairment on patients’ quality of life (QoL). Studies have shown that limitations in QoL are similar in magnitude to patients with other chronic skin diseases like psoriasis. The objective of this study was to assess the quality of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of dermatology 2012-02, Vol.51 (2), p.158-161
Main Authors: Wong, Su-ming, Baba, Roshidah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
China - ethnology
Female
Humans
India - ethnology
Malaysia
Male
Middle Aged
Prospective Studies
Quality of Life
Surveys and Questionnaires
Vitiligo - ethnology
Vitiligo - psychology
Vitiligo - therapy
Young Adult
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Summary:Background  Vitiligo is a chronic disease and can have significant impairment on patients’ quality of life (QoL). Studies have shown that limitations in QoL are similar in magnitude to patients with other chronic skin diseases like psoriasis. The objective of this study was to assess the quality of life (QoL) of patients with vitiligo attending the dermatology clinic of a tertiary hospital in Malaysia. Methods  All patients with a clinical diagnosis of vitiligo who were seen at our dermatology clinic and phototherapy daycare center from September 15 to November 20, 2009 were invited to participate. Results  A total of 102 patients with vitiligo were included in this survey (56.9% females, 43.1% males; mean age 43.6). The mean DLQI score ± SD was 6.40 ± 5.17. The highest mean DLQI score was seen in the patient group aged 30–59 years (mean score 7.05). Malays had significantly higher DLQI scores compared with Indians (P = 0.026). Conclusion  Patients in our cohort showed a moderate limitation of QoL, comparable to that of other chronic skin diseases. Management should focus not only on medical treatment but also psychological aspects, hence better QoL and treatment outcomes.
ISSN:0011-9059
1365-4632
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-4632.2011.04932.x