title: Impact on the quality of life of dermatological patients in southern Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Skin diseases are extremely frequent and may affect quality of life; therefore, it is important to assess it and identify which factors are associated with it.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess quality of life and its associated factors in dermatological patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study involving a sample of 548 patients seen at the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic of Sistema Único de Saúde (the Brazilian National Public Health System), University Hospital, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Information related to socio-demographic data, medical consultation and quality of life was collected by means of the Dermatology Life Quality Index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A median of 7 and a mean of 7.7 (SD = 5.0) were obtained with the Dermatology Life Quality Index. The skin diseases with higher scores on the Dermatology Life Quality Index were psoriasis (median = 15.5), vitiligo (median = 13), atopic dermatitis (median = 12) and acne (median = 10). With respect to factors associated with quality of life, it was found that younger, single patients with a low income, one skin disease and longer disease duration presented poorer quality of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The assessment of the impact of dermatoses on patients' quality of life is important for clinical management. It is essential to detect patients at higher risk of experiencing worse quality of life in order to treat them in a more integrated way.
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Rio Grande, Brazil. cstejada@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Caroline dos Santos
authors.initials: Cdos S
authors.lastname: Tejada
authors.forename: Raúl Andrés
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Mendoza-Sassi
authors.forename: Hiram Larangeira de
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Paulo Neves
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
authors.forename: Victor Felipe dos Santos
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Tejada
mesh_terms: D000152:Acne Vulgaris / Q000175:diagnosis; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000175:diagnosis; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000175:diagnosis; D055815:Young Adult