Health-related quality of life and marital quality of vitiligo patients in China.
BACKGROUND
Vitiligo can adversely affect the quality of life and sexual relationships of patients. Combination of the DLQI with the generic SF-36 and ENRICH may give further insight in the evaluation of the burden in vitiligo patients.


OBJECTIVE
We sought to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and marital quality of Chinese vitiligo patients and to identify the relevant clinical and socio-demographic determinants.


METHODS
A total of 101 vitiligo patients and 126 healthy controls completed the questionnaires. HRQoL was measured using DLQI and SF-36, and marital quality was measured using the ENRICH marital inventory.


RESULTS
Patients with vitiligo experienced significantly impaired health-related quality of life and unstable marital relationships. Gender, distribution pattern of vitiligo and disease severity were independent predictors of DLQI, SF-36 and ENRICH in this cohort.


CONCLUSIONS
Vitiligo is associated with impairment of HRQoL and marital quality among Chinese patients. Alongside the medical interventions, the psychological and sociocultural assessment and intervention should be an essential part of the management of these cases.
Wang
K-Y
KY
Department of Dermatology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China.
Wang
K-H
KH
Zhang
Z-P
ZP
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology