Quality of life in patients with scabies in Erbil, Iraq

Abstract

Background and objective: Scabies, known as the seven-year itch, is a contagious skin infestation by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei that causes a pruritic skin eruption. Scabies is endemic in most of the communities of the developing world. This study aimed to assess the quality of life of scabies patients, taking into consideration the demographic profile and clinical presentation of patients in Erbil. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 107 scabies patients attending a private dermatology clinic were recruited. Dermatology Quality of Life Index questionnaire was used for data collection. Results: More than half (51.4%) of the patients were less than 30 years of age, including 58.9% males, 70.1% of them were married, and 67.3% were living in the urban area. More than 84% of the study sample’s quality of life was very large and extremely large affected. The overall mean of the quality of life scores was 14.95±4.5 with no significant association between the overall quality of life scores to disease severity and certain sociodemographic characteristics of the patients. The mean scores of the two domains of embarrassment and shopping were significantly associated with the male gender (P = 0.003 and 0.021, respectively). However, 40.2%, 35.5%, and 29% of the patients reported that the disease affected very much on their shopping, clothing, and working activities, respectively. Conclusion: The disease had caused a significant effect on patients' lives, with no significant association between the severity of the disease and overall quality of life scores. The disease in its mild, moderate, and severe forms adversely affected patient lives. The commonest quality of life scores were those in the range of 11-20. Keywords: Quality of life; Scabies; Erbil; Iraq.

Dermatology Quality of Life and Depressıon Anxiety and Stress-42 Scale in Scabies Patients

“…The mean DLQI score of our study population was 13.16±7.638. This value was in concordance with the previous studies of DLQI in scabies, which reported mean DLQI values of between 10.09 and 14.95±4.5 [ 1 , 17 , 30 ].…”

“…On the other hand, in one study, DLQI in 72.2% of patients was moderate-to-extremely affected. DLQI was ‘affected severely’ in 41.3% (n=38) of our patients, similar to most of the previous studies [ 1 , 17 ]. A mild effect was reported only in one study performed in rural areas, and the authors concluded that this may be attributable to the fact that the QoL is so poor that people do not consider scabies as a problem at all [ 32 ].…”

“…Shahbaz et al [ 28 ] demonstrated that QoL in patients with various dermatoses on exposed parts is impaired. The negative influence of both symptoms and therapeutic challenges on the quality of life of scabies patients and/or their family members has also been well-established [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 17 , 29 ].…”

“…Bilal et al [ 1 ] stated that the feeling of embarrassment and shopping were the most affected domains in their male patients (58.9%). The domains affected predominantly were shopping, clothing, and work activities, which they concluded may reflect the young, active age group living in urban areas.…”

“…Diagnosis is usually made clinically. Dermoscopic and/or microscopic evaluation to detect feces, eggs, or even mites may be used to confirm the diagnosis [ 1 , 2 ].…”