title: Health-related quality of life and nail disorders.
abstract: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measurements in clinical practice ensure that treatment and evaluations focus on the patient rather than the disease. To verify whether these measurements are also relevant in a minor dermatological disease and whether a generic routine assessment is sufficient to capture different aspects of quality of life, we studied patients affected by nail disorders. The Skindex-29, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire and the 36-item Short Form of the Medical Outcomes Study questionnaires were used. A total of 114 patients were enrolled: 31% men aged 48 +/- 15 years and 69% women aged 49 +/- 14 years (mean +/- SD). The mean values of SF-36 scales in nail disorders were higher than those reported for minor skin diseases, and Skindex-29 values were lower. A duration of disease > or =1 year was associated with higher Skindex-29 scores on the symptom and emotions scales. Patients with onychomycosis have higher values on the Skindex-29 social functioning scale compared with other nail disorders. The use of HRQoL measurements in routine clinical activities allows us to depict how nail disorders affect patients and show how relevant some neglected aspects, such as pain or emotional trauma, are and offers us the opportunity to address these issues in a patient-centred approach to treatment.
authors.affiliation: Health Services Research Unit, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata (IDI-IRCCS), Rome, Italy. ste.tab@idi.it
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tabolli
authors.forename: Livia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Alessandroni
authors.forename: Jeanette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gaido
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sampogna
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Pietro
authors.forename: Damiano
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Abeni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009260:Nail Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires