Improvement of pruritus and quality of life of children with atopic dermatitis and their families after joining support groups.
BACKGROUND
Atopic dermatitis places a large burden on patients and their families, with greater risk of emotional disorders and behavioural problems. Preliminary evidence suggests that support groups and educational programs are helpful in reducing stress, disease and pruritus severity and improves quality of life (QoL).


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the intensity of pruritus and the QoL in children with atopic dermatitis and their families after joining support groups. Material and methods Subjects were randomly assigned to intervention or control group and completed the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) and Family Dermatitis Impact (FDI). Pruritus was evaluated by the Yosipovitch's questionnaire for pruritus. Each patient/family unit was considered as one 'patient'. Participants were divided into two different groups: one with children under 16 years and the second with patients' relatives. Each unit was accompanied during 6 months.


RESULTS
Thirty-two patients and their relatives completed the questionnaires satisfactorily. After intervention, pruritus intensity was similar (P = 0.42), but the pattern of pruritus improved in the intervention group. Overall QoL for CDLQI instruments improved significantly (P < 0.01) and, when specific domains were analysed, personal relationships (P = 0.02) and leisure (P = 0.04) showed marked enhancement. FDI scores failed to demonstrate differences in the QoL of patients' relatives after treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The improvement on pruritus and QoL showed that atopic dermatitis patients had benefits with the attendance to support groups. We consider that these non-pharmacological approaches can be a very effective accessory tools in the management of recalcitrant forms of the disease.
Weber
M Blessmann
MB
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. mbw@terra.com.br
Fontes Neto
P de Tarso da Luz
Pde T
Prati
C
C
Soirefman
M
M
Mazzotti
N G
NG
Barzenski
B
B
Cestari
T F
TF
D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011537:Pruritus / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires