title: Burden of Keloid Disease: A Cross-sectional Health-related Quality of Life Assessment.
abstract: Keloid scars may be painful, itch severely and be cosmetically disturbing. The burden of keloid disease, however, has not yet been determined. This study evaluated the association of keloid disease with health-related quality of life (HRQL) and identified indicators of burden using a cross-sectional survey study, with one disease-specific HRQL measure (Skindex-29) and 2 generic HRQL measures (SF-36 and EQ-5D-5L). A total of 106 keloid patients with no other skin diseases participated in the study. Having keloid disease was associated with a considerable impairment of emotional wellbeing, with most impairment on the emotional and mental HRQL. Pain and itch were the strongest indicators of HRQL impairment in keloid patients. Having painful or itchy keloids was related to low mental and emotional HRQL, implying that patients with keloids require access to effective treatment aimed at alleviating physical symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, 3015CN Rotterdam, The Netherlands. e.bijlard@erasmusmc.nl.
authors.forename: Eveline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bijlard
authors.forename: Casimir A E
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Kouwenberg
authors.forename: Reinier
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Timman
authors.forename: Steven E R
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hovius
authors.forename: Jan J V
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Busschbach
authors.forename: Marc A M
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mureau
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004548:Elasticity; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007627:Keloid / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D011537:Pruritus / Q000209:etiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult