title: Dermatology Life Quality Index score in vitiligo patients: a pilot study among young Italian males.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A negative impact on vitiligo patients in terms of quality of life (QoL) has been suggested. The aim of this report was to study the QoL in a sample of Italian vitiligo patients by using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of forty seven vitiligo subjects, identified among 34,740 potential conscripts resident in southern Italy underwent the Italian version of the DLQI questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median total DLQI score was 1 (IQR: 2; mean: 1.82). In univariate analysis, DLQI total score was significantly influenced by the clinical course of vitiligo, disease extension over the body, and location on face and/or hands. Multivariate analysis using logistic stepwise regression showed that only the localization on the hands and on the face influenced significantly the mean DLQI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study conducted on a random sample of individuals affected by vitiligo selected from the general young male population in Italy, does not document a large impact of vitiligo on QoL. However, variations exist and the location of lesions on the face and/or hands may impact on QoL. Population-based studies are not affected by selection biases connected with seeking medical care and should be more widely performed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Italian Navy Health, Taranto, Italy. vito.ingordo@alice.it
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ingordo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cazzaniga
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gentile
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Iannazzone
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cusano
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Naldi
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000175:diagnosis; D055815:Young Adult