The Impact of Childhood Atopic Dermatitis on the Patients’ Family

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis is a common childhood disease that impairs quality of life. The study aimed to clarify the impact of childhood atopic dermatitis on family life and to correlate severity of atopic dermatitis with family life. A cross-sectional survey was conducted at Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia over a period of 4 months extending from April to July 2009. The parents of children with atopic dermatitis were asked through a validated "Dermatitis Family Impact Questionnaire" about the impact of the disease on their life. For each questionnaire, a total score of 0 to 5 is considered as normal quality of life, 6 to 10 as low, 11 to 20 as moderate and >20 as high alteration in quality of life. The severity of the disease was evaluated using the SCORAD index. A total of 447 children with atopic dermatitis were included in the study. Their mean age was 65.9 months. Males constituted 57% of the patients. The mean score for quality of life in affected families was 13.9 (minimum 2, maximum 25). Based on our suggested classification, only 15 (3.4%) had normal quality of life, 104 (23.3%) were mildly affected, 297 (66.4%) were moderately affected, while 31 (6.9%) reported severe alternation in their quality of life. Sleep, monthly expenditure, and food preparation were the activities showing the highest level of disturbance. The disturbance in quality of life was significantly correlated to increasing severity of the disease. The study has emphasized the importance of investigating the quality of life of atopic dermatitis families. A simple questionnaire is a useful guide for appropriate management of the disease.

Atopic Dermatitis: Skin-Directed Management

“…14 AD also has a negative effect on QoL of caregivers and parents of affected children. 15 Parents of children with moderate and severe AD spend up to 3 hours per day caring for their children' s skin. The most commonly reported negative effects on parents are lack of sleep (often because of cosleeping), fatigue, absence of privacy (because of cosleeping, disrupted sleep of affected children), treatment-related financial expenditures, and feelings of hopelessness, guilt, and depression.…”

Chronic Itching Dermatosis in Children: Modern Methods of Treatment and Efficient Termination of Subjective Complaints

“…На родителей накладываются дополнительные обязанности -им необходимо тратить огромное коли-чество времени на уход за ребенком, что в свою оче-редь негативно влияет на социальное и эмоциональное благополучие семьи в целом. В ряде работ доказано, что родителям детей, страдающих АтД, психологическая поддержка требуется в большем объеме, чем семьям с ребенком, больным сахарным диабетом [11][12][13].…”

Traducción-adaptación transcultural al español del cuestionario Infants Dermatology Quality of Life para niños menores de cuatro años con dermatitis atópica

“…La DA puede alcanzar niveles de severidad que ocasionan problemas familiares, de conducta y de ausentismo escolar. 9,10 Se ha demostrado que con la DA la calidad de vida disminuye conforme aumenta la severidad de la enfermedad.…”