The Burden on Cohabitants of Patients with Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU) has been associated with patients’ poor quality of life. Despite being a chronic disease that could alter the quality of life of the people who live with patients, the potential burden on their cohabitants has not been studied to date. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between the patient’s quality of life, disease control, disease duration and family quality of life and the cohabitant’s mood disturbances, sexual dysfunction, type D personality and sleep quality. A cross-sectional study including patients suffering from CSU and their cohabitants was performed. Sociodemographic variables and disease activity, quality of life, sleep, sexual disfunction, anxiety, depression and type D personality were collected using validated questionnaires. Sixty-two subjects, 31 CSU patients and 31 cohabitants, were included in the study. Worse disease control and poorer quality of life in patients were associated with poorer family quality of life and higher rates of anxiety among the cohabitants (p < 0.05). Patients’ poor quality of life was associated with reduced sexual satisfaction among the cohabitants (p < 0.05). Long disease duration (>10 years) was associated with an increased prevalence of type D personality among the cohabitants (prevalence ratio: 2.59, CI 95% 1.03–7.21). CSU seems to have an impact on the quality of life of cohabitants, especially in terms of increased rates of anxiety, poorer quality of life and reduced sexual satisfaction. The prolonged course of the disease could be associated with the increased presence of non-adaptative personality traits.

Serum Levels of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, Platelet Activating Factor and Eosinophil-Derived Neurotoxin in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria—A Pilot Study in Adult Patients

“…Females tend to be more affected by urticaria than males, and the disease seems more common among adults than among children and the average prevalence for lifetime of CSU risk is 1.4%. Therefore, a better understanding of its highly heterogeneous pathogenesis, which affects intracellular signaling defects and autoimmune processes, is needed [ 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Quality of Life and Mood Status Disturbances in Cohabitants of Patients with Alopecia Areata: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Spanish Population

“…Previous studies have addressed the issue of the quality of life of cohabitants of patients suffering from chronic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease [ 24 ], psoriasis [ 11 ], chronic spontaneous urticaria [ 25 ], or hidradenitis suppurativa [ 12 ]. In this line, there are many factors that could be responsible for this negative impact.…”

A Practical Approach to Diagnosing and Managing Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria

“…Children typically present with lower rates of angioedema (19% vs 60%) and shorter disease duration (5 vs 12 months) compared with adults [ 8 ]; a more comprehensive review of CSU management in children is beyond the scope of this paper but is provided elsewhere [ 9 , 10 ]. Cross-sectional, observational studies have shown that patients suffer a wide-ranging disease duration of 1–10 years [ 1 , 11 – 14 ], with approximately 40% of patients enduring the disease for longer than 10 years [ 11 ]. Disease trajectory and characteristics impact CSU duration, with a relapsing/remitting disease course, co-existing angioedema, and systemic complaints associated with prolonged disease duration [ 15 , 16 ].…”