ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: It is believed that vitiligo has an impact on the overall patient quality of life (QoL). OBJECTIVE: To estimate QoL in a fairly large sample of Italian vitiligo patients by using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaire. METHODS: One hundred and sixty-one vitiligo patients referred to 9 dermatological centers were offered to participate by filling in the Italian version of the DLQI questionnaire. RESULTS: The mean total DLQI score was 4.3 (SD ±4.9; range: 0-22). In multivariate analysis, DLQI >5 was associated with female gender, stability of the disease over time and involvement of the face at disease onset. CONCLUSIONS: The impairment of QoL is overall limited in Italian vitiligo patients, especially if it is compared with results from other available studies. This could be due to cultural and ethnic characteristics of the sample.
Subject(s)
Quality of Life , Surveys and Questionnaires , Vitiligo/diagnosis , Vitiligo/psychology , Adaptation, Psychological , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Dermatology , Female , Humans , Italy , Male , Middle Aged , Multivariate Analysis , Odds Ratio , Prognosis , Retrospective Studies , Risk Assessment , Severity of Illness Index , Sex Factors , Sickness Impact Profile , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Autoimmune comorbidities and circulating autoantibodies have been observed in vitiligo patients, but differences in rate are present according to countries in which the studies were performed, perhaps owing to ethnic diversities or different trigger factors. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of circulating autoantibodies and overt autoimmune diseases in a fairly large sample of Italian vitiligo patients. METHODS: 175 outpatients affected by vitiligo and referred to nine dermatological centers were included in the study. Patients were offered routine blood test, serological testing for thyroid function and search for autoantibodies. RESULTS: At least one circulating autoantibody was detected in 61 (41.8%) of 146 subjects who underwent laboratory tests. Anti-thyroperoxidase (25.6%), anti-thyroglobulin (23.4%), antinuclear antibodies (16.8%) and anti-gastric parietal cell antibodies (7.8%) were the most noticed autoantibodies. 74 (41.5%) autoimmune comorbidities, mainly autoimmune thyroiditis (37%), were reported. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of autoimmune comorbidities and circulating autoantibodies in this study was in agreement with other surveys conducted on Caucasian patients.