Quality of Life in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis and Their Relatives in Rio De Janeiro-Brazil

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, recurrent, multifactorial inflammatory disease of variable severity characterized by intense pruritus and eczema, which is more prevalent in childhood. In general, the quality of life of patients with chronic diseases and their relatives is compromised. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact on the quality of life of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and their relatives, establishing correlations with disease severity scores. A cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate the responses according to the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) of children and adolescents with atopic dermatitis and the Dermatitis Family Impact Questionnaire (DFI) of their caregivers during a medical visit from March to May 2018, in a municipal hospital in Rio de Janeiro. Thirty-four caregivers and patients with AD between 5 and 15 years old participated in the study. The severity of the disease was assessed according to Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) and classified as mild (score <25), moderate (between 25 and 50) or severe (> 50). Statistical evaluation was by t test, Mann Whitney and chi-square test. The mean age of the patients was 9.75 years (SD ± 3.00) and the parents 39 years (SD ± 4.50). The parents schooling was 15 (44%) elementary school and 14 (41%) high school. Family income was less than US$ 1,412.56 in 77% of patients. The mean follow-up time in the service was 18 months (SD ± 25.09). The mean SCORAD score was 29.14 (SD ± 14.85) and, according to the classification, 11 (32%) mild, 15 (44%) moderate and 8 (24%) severe. The mean CDLQI was 7.32 (SD ± 5.91) and the DFI was 12.62 (SD ± 7.34). The most committed domain in DFI was the impact on the life of the person responsible for helping to treat atopic dermatitis, followed by expenses with the disease. In CDLQI, the worst indexes in quality of life were related to pruritus and sleep disturbance. The higher the severity of AD, the worse the patients quality of life (p = 0.01) and the parents (p = 0.002). When we evaluated the patient's age, gender, parental schooling and follow-up time, there was no statistical difference. Atopic dermatitis interferes negatively in the quality of life of patients and their relatives, with the worst indexes being related to the greater severity of the disease.