title: Correlates of self-reported quality of life in adults and children with morphea.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Determining a disease's impact on life quality is important in clinical decision making, research, and resource allocation. Determinants of quality of life (QOL) in morphea are poorly understood.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to ascertain demographic and clinical variables correlated with negative impact on self-reported QOL in morphea.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional survey of the Morphea in Adults and Children cohort.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Symptoms (pruritus and pain) and functional impairment were correlated with decreased QOL in children and adults. This was true in both sexes and was independent of subtype and age. Patient-reported QOL correlated with physician-based measures of disease severity in adults, but not in children. Patients with linear and generalized morphea had the greatest impact on QOL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Small sample size is a limitation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Symptoms and functional impairment were determinants of impaired life quality in both children and adults independent of morphea subtype. These results suggest that clinicians should consider suppressing the accumulation of new lesions (when rapidly accumulating) and symptoms (pain and pruritus) in the treatment of patients with morphea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Shinjita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Clinical Science, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
authors.forename: Ira
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Electronic address: heidi.jacobe@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jacobe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012594:Scleroderma, Localized / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Morphea in Adults and Children cohort; life quality or quality of life; localized scleroderma; morphea; outcomes or disease outcomes