Burden of visible [face and hands] skin diseases: Results from a large international survey

Ann Dermatol Venereol. 2023 Jan 16:S0151-9638(22)00122-3. doi: 10.1016/j.annder.2022.11.008. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: While numerous surveys over the last decade have evaluated the burden of skin diseases, none have focused on the specific impact of disease-location on the hands and face.

AIM: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the burden of 8 skin diseases on the multidimensional aspects of subjects' daily lives in respect to their location on visible body areas (face or hands) versus non-visible areas.

METHODS: This was a population-based study in a representative sample of the Canadian, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, German and French populations, aged over 18 years using the proportional quota sampling method. All participants were asked (i) to complete a specific questionnaire including socio-demographic characteristics, (ii) to declare if they had a skin disease. All respondents with a skin disease were asked (iii) to specify the respective disease locations (hands, face, body) and (iv) to complete the DLQI questionnaire. Respondents with 8 selected skin diseases were asked (v) to complete a questionnaire evaluating the impact of the skin disease on their daily life, including their professional activity, social relations, emotional and intimate life, leisure, sports activities and perceived stigma.

RESULTS: A total of 13,138 adult participants responded to the questionnaire, of whom 26.2 % (n = 3,450) had skin diseases, and 23.4 % (n = 3,072) reported having one of the 8 selected skin diseases. Fifty-three percent were women and the mean age was 39.6 ± 15.5 years. The QoL was mostly impaired when the visible localization was solely on the hands as compared with the face (38 % had a DLQI > 10 versus 22 % respectively). More subjects with a visible localization on the hands reported felt-stigma, having difficulty falling asleep and felt that their sex life had been affected.

CONCLUSION: Special attention should be given to patients with skin disease on the hands and face as they are at higher risk of social exclusion and lower quality of life.

PMID:36653227 | DOI:10.1016/j.annder.2022.11.008