Quality of life of pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis and their caregivers

Abstract

To compare the quality of life (QoL) of children with and without atopic dermatitis (AD) and that of their caregivers and to assess their QoL according to different degrees of AD. This is a cross-sectional, case-control study conducted with patients aged between 4 and 12 years with and without AD and their caregivers. Patients were treated at the Pediatric Dermatology Outpatient Center and the Childcare Center of the Joana de Gusmão Children's Hospital, respectively, from June 2021 to March 2022. The QoL Assessment Scale Autoquestionnaire Qualité de Vie Infant Imagé (AUQEI) was applied to children and adolescents with AD and the control group while the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment instrument was administered to their caregivers. Fifty cases and fifty controls were included in this study. When assessing the QoL of the case and control groups, statistically significant differences were found in the domains of the AUQUEI instrument. Regarding QoL and AD severity, a statistically significant difference was seen (p = 0.027) when comparing moderate and severe SCORAD scores. When comparing the QoL of children with and without AD, a difference was seen between the two groups. The QoL of AD patients was worse and related to the severity of the disease. A better QoL was found among the caregivers in the control group. In the case group, the higher the SCORAD score, the worse the QoL. No relationship was found between AD severity and the QoL of the caregivers in the case group.

Keywords: Atopic dermatitis; Case control; Quality of life; Quality of life evaluation scale (AUQEI); WHOQOL-bref.