title: Health-related quality of life in morphoea.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with morphoea, and previous studies have yielded conflicting results.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the impact of morphoea on HRQoL, and clinical and demographic correlates of HRQoL in adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional survey (n = 73) of the Morphea in Adults and Children cohort.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Morphoea impairs HRQoL in adults. Patients were most impaired by emotional well-being and concerns that the disease would progress to internal organs. Patients with morphoea had worse skin-specific HRQoL than those with nonmelanoma skin cancer, vitiligo and alopecia (lowest P < 0·01). Participants had significantly worse global HRQoL scores than the general U.S. population for all subscales (all P < 0·01), with the exception of bodily pain. Comorbidity (r = 0·35-0·51, all P < 0·01), and symptoms of pruritus (r = 0·38-0·64, all P < 0·01) and pain (r = 0·46-0·74, all P < 0·01) were associated with impairment in multiple domains of skin-specific and global HRQoL. Physician-based measures of disease severity correlated with patient-reported HRQoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with morphoea experience a negative impact on HRQoL, particularly if symptoms (pruritus and pain) or concerns regarding internal manifestations are present. Providers should be aware of this when evaluating and treating patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75390-9096, U.S.A.
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Klimas
authors.affiliation: ProPath Associates, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Shedd
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75390-9096, U.S.A.
authors.forename: I H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75390-9096, U.S.A.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jacobe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012594:Scleroderma, Localized / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires