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THE IMPACT OF ROSACEA ON LIFE QUALITY: Effects of demographic and clinical characteristics and various treatment modalities.

Br J Dermatol. 2010 Jun 9;

Authors: Aksoy B, Altaykan-Hapa A, Egemen D, Karagöz F, Atakan N

ABSTRACT Background: Rosacea has a major psychosocial impact on a patient's life. Objective: The aims of this study were to determine the extent of impact of rosacea on patient's life quality, the relationship of life quality scores to clinical and demographic variables, and the change of life quality according to various treatment alternatives. Patients & Methods: Patients' demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded at their initial examination and their response to treatment alternatives and side effects were recorded additionally at their control examination. Rosacea severity was scored for each sign from 0 to 3. Patients were requested to fill out Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Results: A total of 308 patients took part in this study. Mean DLQI total score at the initial visit was 6.93+/-5.18 and related to patients' age, gender, disease starting age, subjective symptoms, triggering factors, previous treatments, rosacea severity scores and patients' self assessment of ease of living with rosacea. Of these 308 patients, 164 completed the DLQI following treatment as well. Post-treatment DLQI score was 4.36+/-4.82. Post-treatment scores were also related to gender, type of treatment modality, development of side effects, improvement of rosacea, rosacea severity scores and patients' self reported ease of living with rosacea. Topical metronidazole, oral tetracycline and oral isotretinoin were observed to reduce signs and symptoms of rosacea and DLQI scores significantly at this repeat examination. Conclusions: Rosacea affects patients' lives moderately and this could be assessed by using DLQI. DLQI is also sensitive to health quality changes brought about by treatment of rosacea. As a preliminary result we can say that topical metronidazole, oral tetracycline and oral isotretinoin seem to improve quality of life of patients by improving lesions of rosacea more efficiently than other therapeutic agents.

PMID: 20545683 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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