Page 145 - Petelin, Ana, ur. 2024. Zdravje delovno aktivnih in starejših odraslih / Health of Working-Age and Older Adults. Zbornik povzetkov z recenzijo ▪︎ Book of Abstracts. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press

Assessment of quality of life in adults with atopic dermatitis and acne

Dominik Škrinjar, Matej Žnidarič
University of Maribor, Faculty of Medicine, Maribor, Slovenia

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) and acne (AC) are skin diseases that have signifi-
cant impact on the quality of life (QoL) of affected individuals. Both diseases are not
only unpleasant in terms of physical symptoms, but also bring psychological and social
burdens that can affect daily activities, self-esteem and general well-being. The Der-
matology Life Quality Index (DLQI) is a widely used tool to assess the impact of skin
diseases on the QoL of patients. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of AD
and AC on QoL in adults using the DLQI questionnaire.
Methods: A cross-sectional study using the DLQI questionnaire was conducted. The
study included 798 adults (18-49 years) diagnosed with AD or AC (but not both at
the same time) who completed the DLQI questionnaire in full via the 1KA online tool
during the period 28/11/2022 - 28/02/2023, receiving responses from 304 patients
(76.6% female) with AD and 494 patients (66.6% female) with AC. The data were sta-
tistically analysed using IBM SPSS software (version 27.0) to compare the impact of AD
and AC on patients’ QoL and to identify any significant differences between the two
groups according to patients’ sex and age using descriptive and interferential statisti-
cal methods. We performed tests of normal data distribution to justify the choice of
non-parametric statistical methods (Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney U test).
Results: On average, women scored higher points (12,13 for AD and 9,07 for AC)
than men (9,68 for AD and 6,63 for AC), indicating a higher disease burden on QoL
in women. Younger adults (18-24 years) with AD scored an average less points (11,25)
than other adults (25-49 or more years) with AD (12,59), indicating a possible high-
er burden of AD later in life. Younger adults with AC scored an average similar points
(8,65) than older adults with AC (8,64), indicating little to no significant difference in
the impact of age on QoL in patients with AC. There were statistically significant dif-
ferences (p < 0.01) based on disease pathology and gender, at the α = 0.01 level of
significance between patients with AD and AC, whereas little to no statistically signif-
icant differences (p > 0.05) were found between different groups of adults with AD
and AC.
Discussion and conclusions: In this study we aimed to highlight the need for holistic problemi, izzivi in priložnosti na področju zdravja ... | concerns, challenges and opportunities in the health ...
treatment strategies that address both the physical and psychosocial aspects of AD
and AC. In particular, health professionals should be aware of the marked impact of
skin diseases on the QoL of patients, especially in women and older individuals, and
consider additional tailored interventions to mitigate this burden. The differences be-
tween the impact of AD and AC on QoL also suggests that patient treatment strate-
gies should be tailored to the individual patient, taking into account the specific chal-
lenges posed by each skin disease. This study also highlights the importance of QoL
assessment using tools such as the DLQI in clinical practice.
Keywords: quality of life, atopic dermatitis, acne, adults, DLQI

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