Background
Prurigo is defined by the presence of chronic pruritus and multiple localized or generalized pruriginous lesions.
Objective
The aim of this study was to assess the psychological burden of ...prurigo in patients of European countries.
Methods
In this multicentre European study, 3635 general dermatology outpatients and 1359 controls were included. Socio‐demographic data and answers to questionnaires (regarding quality of life, general health, anxiety and depression and suicidal ideation) were collected.
Results
There were 27 patients with prurigo; of these, 63% were men, and the mean age was 58.6 years. Among patients with prurigo, 10 of 27 (37%) suffered from anxiety and 8 of 27 (29%) from depression. Suicidal ideation was reported in 5 of 27 (19%) patients, and for four of these five patients, suicidal ideation was related to their skin disease. These frequencies were higher in the 10 commonest dermatological diseases (including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and leg ulcers). The impact on quality of life was severe, with a mean Dermatologic Life Quality Index (DLQI) of 12.4, with an extreme impact on quality of life for 23% of patients and a very large impact for 27% of patients.
Conclusion
The psychological comorbidities of prurigo are common, greater than those of other skin diseases, and their impact on quality of life is significant. Thus, it is important to study this condition and to find new treatments.
Summary
Background
Alexithymia refers to difficulty in identifying and expressing emotions. Alexithymia is associated with high burden of disease in patients with psoriasis.
Objectives
To investigate ...whether alexithymia was reversible in patients with psoriasis following real‐life therapeutic intervention.
Methods
The Epidemiological Study in Patients with Recently Diagnosed Psoriasis (EPIDEPSO; NCT01964443) was a 1‐year multicentre observational study investigating the prevalence of alexithymia and other psychosocial comorbidities in patients with psoriasis with ≤ 10 years’ disease duration and eligible for systemic treatment. Alexithymia was assessed using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS‐20) at baseline, 6 months and 1 year.
Results
There was a statistically significant decrease in the prevalence of alexithymia in the follow‐up cohort, from 26·7% at baseline to 21·2% at 6 months and 18·8% at 1 year. More than half of the patients (n = 77, 53·8%) who were alexithymic at baseline experienced reversion of their alexithymia. Reversion of alexithymia was higher in patients who reached a high level of disease control, defined as ≥ 75% or ≥ 90% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index. Reversion of alexithymia was associated with dramatic improvement in quality of life, anxiety and depression. Moreover, hazardous alcohol use, highly prevalent in patients with alexithymia, was reduced almost threefold at 1 year.
Conclusions
Alexithymia and associated high disease burden may be reversible in patients with effective treatment of psoriasis. Proactive recognition of patients who are unable to identify and express their feelings is important.
What's already known about this topic?
Alexithymia, the inability to identify and express emotions, is highly prevalent in patients with psoriasis.
Patients with alexithymia have a high disease burden, with impaired quality of life, anxiety and depression.
What does this study add?
Alexithymia may be reversible in patients with psoriasis.
Higher psoriasis clearance is associated with a lower prevalence of alexithymia at 1 year.
Anxiety, depression and harmful alcohol use are reduced in patients who have a reversion in alexithymia.
Linked Comment: Misery. Br J Dermatol 2019; 180:261.
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Many events, including the COVID‐19 pandemic, have accelerated the implementation of teledermatology pathways within dermatology departments and across healthcare organizations. Quality of Life (QoL) ...assessment in dermatology is also a rapidly developing field with a gradual shift from theory to practice. The purpose of this paper organized jointly by the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Task Force (TF) on QoL and patient‐oriented outcomes and the EADV TF on teledermatology is to present current knowledge about QoL assessment during the use of teledermatology approaches, including data on health‐related (HR) QoL instruments used in teledermatology, comparison of influence of different treatment methods on HRQoL after face‐to‐face and teledermatology consultations and to make practical recommendations concerning the assessment of QoL in teledermatology. The EADV TFs made the following position statements: HRQoL assessment may be an important part in most of teledermatology activities; HRQoL assessment may be easily and effectively performed during teledermatology consultations. It is especially important to monitor HRQoL of patients with chronic skin diseases during lockdowns or in areas where it is difficult to reach a hospital for face‐to‐face consultation; regular assessment of HRQoL of patients with skin diseases during teledermatology consultations may help to monitor therapy efficacy and visualize individual patient's needs; we recommend the use of the DLQI in teledermatology, including the use of the DLQI app which is available in seven languages; it is important to develop apps for dermatology‐specific HRQoL instruments for use in children (for example the CDLQI and InToDermQoL) and for disease‐specific instruments.
Abstract The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Task Forces on quality of life (QoL) and patient‐oriented outcomes and on urticaria and angioedema recommendations for the ...assessment of Health‐related (HR) QoL in all patients with urticaria in research and practice are as follows: to use the DLQI for adults and the CDLQI for children as dermatology‐specific and the CU‐Q2oL as a disease‐specific HRQoL instruments in urticaria; to use generic instruments to provide comparison of data on urticaria with non‐dermatologic diseases, or to compare with healthy volunteers or the general population; to select validated HRQoL instruments with appropriate age limits; to present exact numeric data for HRQoL results; correct title of any HRQoL instrument should be used, along with its correct abbreviation and the reference to its original publication, where possible. The EADV TFs discourage the use of non‐validated HRQoL instruments and modified HRQoL instruments that have not undergone standard validation.
Feelings of guilt in parents of children with atopic dermatitis Bursztejn, A.C.; Shourick, J.; Bodemer, C. ...
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology,
February 2022, 2022-Feb, 2022-02-00, 20220201, 2022-02, Letnik:
36, Številka:
2
Journal Article
New treatment options may lead to an increased interest in using reliable and sensitive instruments to assess health‐related quality of life in people with alopecia areata (AA). The purpose of this ...paper is to present current knowledge about quality of life assessment in AA. The dermatology‐specific Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was the most widely reported health‐related quality of life instrument used in AA. Three AA‐specific (Alopecia Areata Symptom Impact Scale, Alopecia Areata Quality of Life Index and Alopecia Areata Patients' Quality of Life) and three hair disease‐specific instruments (Hairdex, Scalpdex and ‘hair‐specific Skindex‐29’) were identified with a range of content and validation characteristics: there is little evidence yet of the actual use of these measures in AA. Scalpdex is the best‐validated hair disease‐specific instrument. Further extensive validation is needed for all of the AA‐specific instruments. The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Task Force on Quality of Life and Patient Oriented Outcomes recommends the use of the dermatology‐specific DLQI questionnaire, hair disease‐specific Scalpdex and the alopecia areata‐specific instruments the Alopecia Areata Symptom Impact Scale or Alopecia Areata Quality of Life Index, despite the limited experience of their use. We hope that new treatment methods will be able to improve both clinical signs and health‐related quality of life in patients with AA. In order to assess the outcomes of trials on these new treatment methods, it would be helpful when further development and validation of AA‐specific instruments is being encouraged and also conducted.
Core outcome sets (COSs) are an agreed standardized collection of outcomes that should be measured and reported in all clinical trials for a specific clinical condition. Tsekhe aim of our position ...paper by the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Task Force on Quality of Life and Patient Oriented Outcomes was to identify the challenges and Patient Oriented Outcomes advantages in the development of COSs within dermatological QoL research. Twelve EADV Task Force multidisciplinary team members presented a total of 101 items (51 advantages and 50 disadvantages). All participants considered that COS are beneficial for comparison between different studies, treatments, dermatological diseases, geographical location and ethnicities. In conclusion, the EADV Task Force on Quality of Life and Patient Oriented Outcomes has recognized the primacy of advantages of COS and deliberated that the disadvantages in COS are related to development process and use of COS.
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