Quality of Life of Healthcare Workers Suffering from Occupational Contact Dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers are at a high risk of developing Occupational Dermatitis (OD). Affected workers often experience severe impairment of their Quality of Life (QoL). This study aimed to assess the skin-related QoL of healthcare workers with OD and to explore its related factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional and exhaustive study was conducted among healthcare personnel of four public hospitals in the central region of Tunisia. All the cases of OD declared were included. Skin-related QoL was assessed using the validated Tunisian version of the "Dermatology Life Quality Index" (DLQI). Some related patents have also been discussed. RESULTS: A total of 37 cases of OD were collected with an annual incidence of 4.2 cases per 10000 workers. The population was predominantly female (73%) and the mean age was 44.7±9.4 years. Nurses were the most represented occupational category (38%). Allergic contact dermatitis was the most frequent diagnosis (96%). The use of gloves was the most frequently reported occupational hazard (86%). The most frequently affected sites were hands (97%). The median score of DLQI was five. Multivariate analysis showed an association between the impairment of skin-related QoL and female gender (p = 0.04; OR = 19.3,84), exposure to disinfecting chemicals in the workplace (p = 0.01; OR = 17,306) and the absence of occupational reclassification (p = 0.01; OR = 21,567). CONCLUSION: About one-third of the population had an impaired quality of life. The score impairment was significantly related to the female gender, exposure to disinfecting chemicals and the absence of occupational reclassification.

Cutaneous alternariosis in a renal transplant recipient.

Alternariosis is a fungal infection that is usually described in immunocompromised patients. We report a case of cutaneous alternariosis in a renal transplant recipient caused by Alternaria tenuissima. The diagnosis was supported by histopathologic (ie, yeastlike cells, filamentous structures) and mycologic findings from a cutaneous biopsy. Cutaneous lesions regressed 1 month following a decrease in the dosage of immunosuppressive therapy. The patient also was treated with intravenous amphotericin B followed by oral fluconazole without improvement. Cryotherapy remarkably accelerated healing of the lesions.

[Psychiatric morbidity and quality of life in Vitiligo: a case controlled study]. / Morbidite psychiatrique et qualite de vie des patients atteints du vitiligo: etude cas-temoins.

UNLABELLED: The aims of this study were to value the psychiatric morbidity and its influence on the quality of life of patients with vitiligo. METHODS: It was a case-controlled study bearing on 60 outpatients with vitiligo examined in the department of Dermatology of the University Hospital of Monastir, compared to 60 controls matched according to age and sex, among outpatients with others dermatologic disorders as warts or superficial mycoses. The assessment consisted in the epidemiological and clinical evaluation, including these questionnaires: the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Hamilton Anxiety Appreciation Scale (HAMA). RESULTS: Mean scores of depression in the MADRS and anxiety in the HAMA were significantly more elevated in patients with vitiligo (p = 0.0005). Quality of life was significantly more altered in patients with vitiligo: DLQI mean score = 9.4 +/- 17.1 versus 2.5 +/- 1.0 among the controls (p < 0.0001). A positive correlation has been noted between the quality of life scores and the MADRS depression scores (p < 10(-10)) and the HAMA anxiety scores (p < 10(9)). CONCLUSION: The quality of life decrease in patients with vitiligo is especially related to the psychiatric comorbidity underlining the multidisciplinary therapeutic necessity including the psychotherapeutic approach.