More Problems are Reported in Areas of Health-related Quality of Life During the Pandemic in Patients With Atopic Dermatitis

Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) experienced more problems in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) during the pandemic.

Researchers aimed to compared HRQoL in adult AD patients before and during the pandemic and to assess measurement performance of 4 HRQoL measured in a multicenter, cross-sectional survey conducted between 2018 and 2021. A total of 218 adult AD patients were included in the study. HRQoL outcomes included the EQ-5D-5L, Skindex-16, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and DLQI-Relevant (DLQI-R). Severity was measured using objective SCORing Atopic Dermatitis, Eczema Area and Severity Index, and Investigator Global Assessment.

The mean ± SD EQ-5D-5L utility scores were 0.82 ± 0.22, Skindex-16 scores were 56.84 ± 27.46, DLQI scores were 13.44 ± 8.46, and DLQI-R scores were 13.76 ± 8.60.  During the pandemic, patients reported a statistically significant increase in problems with pain and discomfort, worrying, persistence and reoccurrence of disease, and social relationships.

“Atopic dermatitis patients experienced significantly more problems in some areas of HRQoL during the pandemic,” concluded the study authors. “The EQ-5D-5L, Skindex-16, DLQI, and DLQI-R demonstrated good convergent and known-group validity and can be suitable instruments for HRQoL assessment in clinical and research settings,” they added.

—Jessica Garlewicz

Reference

Koszorú K, Hajdu K, Brodszky V, et al. General and Skin-Specific Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Atopic Dermatitis Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Dermatitis. 2022;10.1097/DER.0000000000000908. doi:10.1097/DER.0000000000000908