Impact of intralesional botulinum toxin type A therapy on the keloid-related quality of life

Background We aimed to validate the translated Arabic version of the head and neck keloid quality-of-life (QOL) questionnaire. We also aimed to evaluate the impact of intralesional botulinum toxin type A (BTA) therapy on the keloid-related quality of life. Methods This prospective study included 140 patients with a keloid in the head and neck regions. They were divided into two groups. In Group A, the patient filled out the questionnaire four times: 1 week before the start of the treatment, the first injection (day using intralesional BTA, the second injection day, and 6 months after the first injection. In group B, the patients completed the questionnaires once before any keloid therapy (control group). Results Cronbach's alpha between all questions was 0.921. The intra-class correlation coefficient between the first and second visits was above 0.8. In Group A, the total score in the first visit was 84.12 +/- 5.86, while it was 34.87 +/- 3.73 in the fourth fulfilment, with a statistically significant difference between them as the P-value was < 0.0001. The results of Group A differed significantly from the control group. Conclusions The translated Arabic version of the head and neck QOL questionnaire was reliable and reproducible. It has strong internal consistency, responsiveness, and validity. According to this study, intralesional BTA injection effectively improved the QOL of patients with keloids.