Archives of Hellenic Medicine

Last update:

05-Dec-2022

Arch Hellen Med, 39(6),November-December 2022, 827-831

ORIGINAL PAPER

Assessment of quality of life in patients with acne vulgaris in Greece

E.N. Kolokotsa,¹ V. Kapaki,² N. Kotsopoulos³
¹Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens
²Department of Social and Education Policy, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Peloponnese, Corinth
³Department of Economics-MBA, School of Economics and Political Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

OBJECTIVE To assess the quality of life (QoL) and its determinants, in patients with acne vulgaris in Greece. Morover to investigate the correlation of the degree of disability with the severity of the acne, and identify the factors that exert an adverse effect on QoL.

METHOD A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted with a cohort of 150 patients with acne vulgaris, aged 16–30 years, who attended the Outpatient Dermatology Department of the "Evangelismos-Ophthalmiatrio-Polyclinic" General Hospital of Athens over a period of six months. QoL was assessed by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI). The severity of the acne vulgaris was determined using the Leeds scale. Correlation analysis was conducted with demographic and clinical variables. All the patients signed an informed consent form for their participation in the study. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS), version 21.0 was used for analysis of the data.

RESULTS Greater severity of acne vulgaris was shown to be associated with worse scores on the QoL scale. The QoL of women was more severely affected compared the QoL of the men. A higher educational attainment appeared to be associated with worse QoL of patients with acne. Longer duration and greater severity of the disease was associated with worse scores for symptoms and feelings, and with adverse effects on personal relationships.

CONCLUSIONS Acne vulgaris is a common dermatological disease, occurring mainly in adolescents and young adults. Effective and efficient management of acne vulgaris should take into consideration both the physical and the psychosocial effects of the disease. A comprehensive therapeutic approach to acne vulgaris should address symptoms, QoL impairment and the impact on feelings, personal relationships and leisure time activities, especially for female patients.

Key words: Acne vulgaris, Quality of life.