Assess Patients' Health-related Quality of Life in relation to various Skin Conditions and Related Factors in Saudi Arabia 2024

Abstract

Background: People with skin problems who do not have a clinical consultation are not included in the numerous extensive studies on the burden of skin diseases that have been conducted on patients enrolled in clinical centers. Skin diseases have caused a heavy burden on the infected population worldwide. The majority of dermatological conditions have been shown to have an impact on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia has not conducted any research on the magnitude of its adverse effects and predictors.
The study aimed: To assess HRQOL among patients with different skin diseases and identify related factors.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was utilized among 430 participants at Saudi Arabia clinical centers from January to March 2024. Data collection tool was employed EuroQol-5 Dimensions-5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L), which measures the EQ-5D index from five domains including mobility, self-care, usual activity, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Multivariate Tobit regression was adopted to determine factors that were associated with HRQOL (EQ-5D index).
Results: The highest prevalence was 28.8% for atopic dermatitis, followed by 17.0% for contact dermatitis and 13.0% for cutaneous fungal infections. In terms of HRQOL, the most prevalent health issue among patients with skin conditions was anxiety/depression (71.8%), which was followed by pain/discomfort (63.6%). The average score on the EQ-5D index was 0.73 (SD = 0.19). Males with psoriasis (mean = 0.59) and females with skin infections (mean = 0.52) had the lowest EQ-5D index scores. Compared to men, women scored far lower (Coef. = -0.06; 95% CI = -0.11 to -0.01). This study highlighted the vulnerability of patients with varying socioeconomic statuses to their HRQOL and showed that patients with skin illnesses had low HRQOL.