Otitis externa: quality of life assessment.
BACKGROUND
Otitis externa (OE) is an extremely common dermatological condition that can affect social life and employment, but formal studies of its general health impact are lacking.


OBJECTIVE
The aims of this study were two-folded, first to assess the impact of OE on various health determinants as measured by the Finlay's dermatological quality of life index (DLQI) and second to see if there was any difference on quality of life (QoL) of patients with acute and chronic OE.


METHODS
A prospective questionnaire study was carried out. The study included 85 consecutive adult patients with both acute and chronic OE attending the casualty department of a regional otolaryngology unit.


RESULTS
Both groups of patients reported a significantly poor QoL, particularly patients with acute OE, whom were significantly affected by the condition.


CONCLUSIONS
We concluded that OE has a significant impact on the QoL particularly in patients with acute and chronic OE.
Ali
R
R
Department of Otolaryngology, Waterford Regional Hospital, Dunmore Road, Waterford, Ireland.
Burns
P
P
Donnelly
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010032:Otitis Externa / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires