Knowledge, beliefs, and perceptions of Turkish vitiligo patients regarding their condition

Abstract

BACKGROUNDVitiligo is an acquired pigmentary skin disorder that affects 0.5% to 2.0% of the population.OBJECTIVEPatients' knowledge, opinions, and attitudes about vitiligo were evaluated.METHODSThe team conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive, prospective study between June 2014 and May 2015. The study included 100 patients aged over 12 years who were diagnosed with vitiligo. A questionnaire including items on knowledge, opinions, and beliefs about vitiligo and the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ) were filled out by the patients, and the results were analyzed.RESULTSIn total, 100 (58 female, 42 male) patients were included in the study. Of them, 74% knew the name of their disease, 90% thought that vitiligo was not contagious, 48% reported that they obtained information on the disease from a doctor, and 69% believed they had adequate information on vitiligo. Eighty percent reported no negative effects from vitiligo on relationships with friends or family. It was believed that stress, excessive sun exposure, and heredity were causes of vitiligo, according to 84%, 37%, and 22% of the patients, respectively. Thirty-six patients (36%) believed that their illness was a serious disease and 35% deemed that it did not have a major impact on their lives.CONCLUSIONSOur results show that vitiligo patients were generally highly aware of their condition. The disease did not negatively affect patient opinions or attitudes about vitiligo. The authors believe that improving patient-physician communication will impact positively on the course of the disease.

Illness perception of patients with pemphigus vulgaris

“…Patients in this study assumed that stress was the most common causal factor, similar to reports of prior studies about illness perception on skin disorders such as vitiligo (Firooz et al, 2004, Topal et al, 2016), psoriasis (Fortune et al, 1998), and alopecia areata (Firooz et al, 2005). Patients with severe cutaneous involvement pinpointed external agents such as bio-organisms and environmental pollution as the leading causes of their illness, but this did not hold true for patients with severe mucosal involvement.…”

“…Among the list of causal factors that patients were asked to score, altered immunity was the most reasonable real cause, and highly educated patients believed altered immunity to be a causal factor more often than lower educated patients. Topal et al (2016) demonstrated the same results in a sample of 100 patients with vitiligo. An unclear understanding of disease identity, consequences, and treatment outcomes leads to anxiety and depression and consequently can worsen the disease (Bystryn and Rudolph, 2005).…”

Prevalent Beliefs and Attitude toward Vitiligo among Public in Al Baha Province, Southern Saudi Arabia

“…Many studies have shown that there is a difference between perception of vitiligo among the general population and those who are diseased, and many have emphas affected individuals have higher levels of Many studies have shown that there is a difference between perception of vitiligo among the general population and those who are diseased, and many have emphasized that affected individuals have higher levels of knowledge, from which the doctors where the source of information. [12,15,16].…”

“…There are many misunderstandings and misconceptions regarding vitiligo, they are observed in the general population and among the affected individuals as well, with some evidence suggesting that vitiligo patients are more educated about their condition [12][13].…”

Illness perception in patients with Alopecia areata under topical immunotherapy

“…Stress was the most common risk factor of AA according to our patient's idea, similar to reports of prior studies about illness insight on skin diseases such as vitiligo, acne, and PV. [16][17][18] Firooz et al 14 Studies that examined patients' beliefs and changes following the information provided showed that this intervention could increase patients' awareness and sense of control over the disease without increasing anxiety. 22 The severity of AA, duration of illness, previous psychiatric disorders, and being women were associated with a lower quality of life and requiring careful attention.…”