Assessment of the Satisfaction of Patients of Atopic Dermatitis with Kampo Therapy / 日本東洋医学雑誌

ABSTRACT

The patient with atopic dermatitis is often dissatisfied with the long-term nature of treatment for his/her disease. The aims of this study were to examine the effect of Kampo therapy on the skin manifestation of atopic dermatitis as well as the patient's mental state, and to evaluate the relation between severity of symptoms and satisfaction with the Kampo therapy. Kampo medicine was administered to 15 in-patients with atopic dermatitis for 6 months. Their clinical conditions, quality of life (QOL) assessments, and psychosomatic scores before and after treatment were observed and comparatively evaluated. We evaluated patients' symptom severity with the atopic dermatitis severity classifications of the Japanese Dermatological Association, and the European SCORAD (Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis). We evaluated QOL with the SF-36 and DLQI (Dermatology Life Quality Index), and mental state with the PSS-AD (Psychosomatic Scale for Atopic Dermatitis). Clinical conditions, QOL and mental states were improved after treatment with Kampo medicine. However, when we examined individual cases, severity of symptoms and satisfaction with treatment did not correlate. Patients' satisfaction ratings and the severity of their symptoms do not necessarily correspond in patients with atopic dermatitis, because evaluations vary with each individual. Therefore, clinicians treating patients for atopic dermatitis must make an effort to recognize each patient's psychological condition.