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. 2014 May;70(5):904-10.
doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2013.11.037. Epub 2014 Feb 16.

Correlates of self-reported quality of life in adults and children with morphea

Shinjita Das  1 , Ira Bernstein  2 , Heidi Jacobe  3
Affiliations

Correlates of self-reported quality of life in adults and children with morphea

Shinjita Das et al. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2014 May.

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.

Limitations: Small sample size is a limitation.

Conclusion: 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.

Keywords: Morphea in Adults and Children cohort; life quality or quality of life; localized scleroderma; morphea; outcomes or disease outcomes.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: None declared.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Absolute number of patients with each major subtype experiencing no, small, moderate, very large, or extremely large effect on quality of life as measured by Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) (A) and Children's DLQI (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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