title: Treatment of vitiligo patients by excimer laser improves patients' quality of life.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitiligo can negatively affect patients' quality of life (QoL). Assessment of QoL provides relevant information about treatment benefits.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effects of excimer laser treatment on vitiligo patients' QoL and to identify overall patient satisfaction. The literature review failed to show any study concerning the same field.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 134 vitiligo patients (with 386 lesions) were studied. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was used to assess the effect of excimer laser treatment on patients' QoL. A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to rate patients' overall life satisfaction and disturbance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Excimer laser treatment significantly improved QoL in vitiligo patients, with improvement observed in five of six DLQI domains. Treatment-induced changes in the VAS score showed a significant decline in life disturbance and improvement in life satisfaction. Multivariate analysis revealed that sex and treatment duration were independent factors influencing treatment outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment of vitiligo with excimer laser can positively influence patients' QoL. Patients with multiple focal lesions should be treated by excimer laser even if some lesions may not show significant clinical improvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia hanisat@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Hani A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Al-Shobaili
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054018:Lasers, Excimer / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D055815:Young Adult