Background Prurigo is defined by the presence of chronic pruritus and multiple localized or generalized pruriginouslesions.Objective The aim of this study was to assess the psychological burden of... Show moreBackground Prurigo is defined by the presence of chronic pruritus and multiple localized or generalized pruriginouslesions.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 depressionand suicidal ideation) were collected.Results There were 27 patients with prurigo; of these, 63% were men, and the mean age was 58.6 years. Amongpatients with prurigo, 10 of 27 (37%) suffered from anxiety and 8 of 27 (29%) from depression. Suicidal ideation wasreported 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 andleg ulcers). The impact on quality of life was severe, with a mean Dermatologic Life Quality Index (DLQI) of 12.4, with anextreme 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, andtheir impact on quality of life is significant. Thus, it is important to study this condition and to find new treatments. Show less
Itch is an unpleasant symptom, affecting many dermatological patients. Studies investigating the occurrence and intensity of itch in dermatological patients often focus on a single skin disease and... Show moreItch is an unpleasant symptom, affecting many dermatological patients. Studies investigating the occurrence and intensity of itch in dermatological patients often focus on a single skin disease and omit a control group with healthy skin. The aim of this multi-centre study was to assess the occurrence, chronicity and intensity (visual analogue scale 0–10) of itch in patients with different skin diseases and healthy-skin controls. Out of 3,530 dermatological patients, 54.3% reported itch (mean ± standard deviation itch intensity 5.5 ± 2.5), while out of 1,094 healthy-skin controls 8% had itch (3.6 ± 2.3). Chronic itch was reported by 36.9% of the patients and 4.7% of the healthy-skin controls. Itch was most frequent (occurrence rates higher than 80%) in patients with unclassified pruritus, prurigo and related conditions, atopic dermatitis and hand eczema. However, many patients with psychodermatological conditions and naevi also reported itch (occurrence rates higher than 19%). Show less
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... Show moreBackground 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. Show less
Skin disease and its therapy affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study was to measure the burden caused by dermatological therapy in 3,846 patients from 13 European... Show moreSkin disease and its therapy affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study was to measure the burden caused by dermatological therapy in 3,846 patients from 13 European countries. Adult outpatients completed questionnaires, including the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), which has a therapy impact question. Therapy issues were reported by a majority of patients with atopic dermatitis (63.4%), psoriasis (60.7%), prurigo (54.4%), hidradenitis suppurativa (54.3%) and blistering conditions (53%). The largest reduction in HRQoL attributable to therapy, as a percentage of total DLQI, adjusted for confounders, was seen in blistering conditions (10.7%), allergic/drug reactions (10.2%), psoriasis (9.9%), vasculitis/immunological ulcers (8.8%), atopic dermatitis (8.7%), and venous leg ulcers (8.5%). In skin cancer, although it had less impact on HRQoL, the reduction due to therapy was 6.8%. Treatment for skin disease contributes considerably to reducing HRQoL: the burden of dermatological treatment should be considered when planning therapy and designing new dermatological therapies. Show less
Background It was recently demonstrated that a significant number of patients with common skin diseases across Europe are clinically depressed and anxious. Studies have shown that physicians not... Show moreBackground It was recently demonstrated that a significant number of patients with common skin diseases across Europe are clinically depressed and anxious. Studies have shown that physicians not trained as psychiatrists underdiagnose depression. This has not been explored among dermatologists. Objectives To estimate the concordance between clinical assessment of depression and anxiety by a dermatologist and assessment with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Methods The study was an observational cross‐sectional multicentre study of prevalent cases of skin diseases in 13 countries in Europe. Consecutive patients were recruited in outpatient clinics and filled in questionnaires prior to clinical examination by a dermatologist who reported any diagnosis of skin disease and signs of mood disorders.ResultsAnalysis of the 3635 consultations showed that the agreement between dermatologist and HADS was poor to fair (lower than 0·4) for all diagnosis categories. The true‐positive rate (represented by the percentage of dermatologists recognizing signs of depression or anxiety in patients with depression or anxiety as defined by a HADS value ≥ 11) was 44·0% for depression and 35·6% for anxiety. The true negative rate (represented by the percentage of dermatologists not detecting signs of depression or anxiety in non‐depressed or non‐anxious patients defined by HADS‐value < 11) was 88.8% for depression and 85.7% for anxiety.ConclusionsDermatologists in Europe tend to underestimate mood disorders. The results suggest that further training for dermatologists to improve their skills in diagnosing depression and anxiety might be appropriate. When present, the psychological suffering of patients with dermatological conditions needs to be addressed. Show less
Skin conditions may have a strong impact on patients’ sexual life, and thus influence personal relationships. Sexual issues are difficult to discuss directly in clinical practice, and a mediated... Show moreSkin conditions may have a strong impact on patients’ sexual life, and thus influence personal relationships. Sexual issues are difficult to discuss directly in clinical practice, and a mediated instrument may be useful to capture such information. In this study item 9 of the Dermatology Life Quality Index was used to collect information on sexual impact of several skin conditions in 13 European countries. Among 3,485 patients, 23.1% reported sexual problems. The impairment was particularly high in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa, prurigo, blistering disorders, psoriasis, urticaria, eczema, infections of the skin, or pruritus. Sexual impact was strongly associated with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. It was generally more frequent in younger patients and was positively correlated with clinical severity and itch. It is important to address the issue of sexual well-being in the evaluation of patients with skin conditions, since it is often linked to anxiety, depression, and even suicidal ideation. Show less
