Alessandroni L, Di Pietro C, Gaido J, Abeni D, Tabolli S; Health Technology Assessment International. Meeting (3rd : 2006 : Adelaide, S. Aust.).

Handb Health Technol Assess. 2006; 3: 160.

Idi - Irccs, Via dei Monti di Creta, 00104, Rome, Italy

Introduction: In the management of skin diseases it is important to verify patients'quality of life by using standardized models, since clinicians' assessment may not always concur with patients' own evaluation. Object of the study was to assess the physical and psychosocial impacts of nail disorders using self-assessing questionnaires, which are applied in routine to chronic pathologies. Methods: Three questionnaires were administered: the Skindex-29 a specific dermatological one, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) for minor psychiatric non psychotic diseases, and the 36-item Short Form of the Medical Outcomes Study questionnaire (SF-36). All patients with nail disorder referred to our department in two months were invited to participate. Results: 114 patient were enrolled: 31% males aged 48 plus/minus 15 and 69 % females aged 49 plus/minus 14 The mean values of SF-36 scales in nail disorders were, higher than that reported for minor skin diseases, Skindex-29 values are lower than other dermatological diseases. A disease for more than one year reduces the HRQoL parameters (Skindex-29 and SF-36) and increase the percentage of GHQ positive cases. The reduction of values in symptom and emotion scales for Skindex-29 are statistically significant (p< 0.03) but not for the social functioning scale. Conclusions: There has been little research to evaluate how psychologic distress, pain and functional problems from nail disorders can affect patients' quality of life. The authors enphasize how a generic skin instrument like Skindex-29 has proved to be easily influenced by disease involvement and duration and as regard to onychomychosis candida infections seem to affect most negatively patients' quality of life.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Emotions
• Female
• Health
• Health Status
• Health Status Indicators
• Health Surveys
• Humans
• Life
• Male
• Nail Diseases
• Quality of Life
• Questionnaires
• Research
• Skin Diseases
• methods
• hsrmtgs

UI: 103724926

From Meeting Abstracts