The Impact of Disease Severity and Treatment on Quality of Life in Patients of Psoriasis

Abstract

Background: Psoriasis is a common inflammatory dermatosis with significantly challenging clinical needs in patient management. Given its chronicity and social stigmatization, the burden on health-related life quality is substantial. The objective of this study was to assess psychosocial and financial impact of disease severity and treatment modalities on patients’ life quality. Methodology: A total of 93 clinically diagnosed patients with Psoriasis were included in this cross-sectional study. Quality of life was assessed through Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scoring system and disease severity by Psoriasis area severity index (PASI) respectively. Treatment modalities were evaluated by filling out a brief questionnaire. Descriptive analyses were presented as mean ± SD for symmetrically distributed variables while median with interquartile range (IQR) were reported for non-symmetrically distributed variables. Association was determined by Chi-square test considering p-value ≤0.05 as significant. Results: There were 47.3% male and 52.7% female patients. The Median DLQI score was 6.00 with an IQR of 7. Topical treatment was used in the majority of patients currently (60%). Quality of life ( QOL) for 41.9% of cases was mildly affected. Rest of the cases were affected more severely, consisting of 47.3% with moderate and 10.8% with severe impact on quality of life. Significant association of DLQI scores was found with disease severity and current treatment modalities. Conclusion: Different therapies along with disease severity, remarkably affect QoL among psoriasis patients. KEYWORDS Disease Severity ,Impact, Psoriasis , Quality of Life, Treatment