Abstract
A STUDY ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN VITILIGO PATIENTS

Objective to study the quality of life (QOL) in vitiligo (<10% BSA) patients attending dermatology clinic at Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital. This study includes 50 patients diagnosed as vitiligo (<10%BSA). Full history taking and clinical examination were done in all patients. Severity scoring by Body surface area (BSA) was calculated according to rule of nine. Quality of life evaluation (QOL) was evaluated by DLQI questionnaire. Higher the score more the quality of life is impaired. A total of 50 patients (20 males and 30 females) were included in the study. Age of the patients ranges from 15- 59 years with mean age of 30.37 years. On comparison of occupation of the patient, laborers showed a highest mean DLQI score of 8.50 compared to other occupational groups which was statistically significant by p-value = 0.008. On comparison of site of the disease, DLQI score was highest on exposed parts of the body (8.64±0.52) compared to covered sites. While doctors quantify the severity of the disease based on symptoms and area of skin involvement, patients focus on impaired activities of daily living on their quality of life. Therefore when assessing severity it is important to assess not only the severity of skin disease but also the quality of life.