Impact of dermatological diseases on family members of the patients using Family Dermatology Life Quality Index: A preliminary study in Iran

Background: Chronic skin diseases such as vitiligo and psoriasis can impair the quality of life in the patients with these diseases. The impact of chronic and/or severe skin diseases on the lives of family members of the affected patients has only recently been addressed. The tool used for this assessment is the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI). The aim of this study was to use the FDLQI to assess the impact of four skin diseases (pemphigus, psoriasis, vitiligo, and cutaneous leishmaniasis) on family members of the affected patients. Method: Fifty healthy family members of 50 patients with pemphigus, psoriasis, vitiligo, and cutaneous leishmaniasis were included in this study. The patients had to have an extensive disease with disease duration of at least one month. One family member of each patient completed the 10- item Persian version of the FLDQI questionnaire. The score of this index ranged from 0 to 30. Result: The mean duration and mean FDLQI score of the diseases were as follows: psoriasis (mean duration=4.1±2.7, mean FDLQI score=14.7±5.01), pemphigus (mean duration=3.6±2.3, mean FDLQI score=15.4±4.7), vitiligo (mean duration=5.1±4.05, mean FDLQI score=14.4±5.08) and cutaneous leishmaniasis (mean duration=0.62±0.23, mean FDLQI score=12.0±4.3). There was no significant difference among the groups (p=0.562). In addition, no strong correlation was observed between the mean duration of the disease and mean FDLQI scores for each condition (r=0.051, p=0.726). Conclusion: This small-scale study demonstrated that although not statistically significant, inflammatory diseases like pemphigus had a higher FDLQI score when compared to non-inflammatory conditions like vitiligo and short-term conditions such as leishmaniasis.