Assessment of quality of life in vitiligo patients in terms of clinical severity and psychological burden in a tertiary care hospital: An observational study

Background: Vitiligo is characterized depigmented macules and patches over the skin. It has a major impact on the quality of life (QoL) of patients, many of whom feel distressed and stigmatized by their condition. Aim: To assess QoL in vitiligo patients in terms of clinical severity and psychological burden. Materials and Methods: An observational study on 60 patients with age >= 16 years was conducted at an outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital. Data were collected in a predesigned pro forma. The QoL of patients and family members was assessed using Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Family DLQI (FDLQI), respectively. The clinical severity was measured using Vitiligo Area Severity Index (VASI) and psychological burden by Vitiligo Impact Score-22 (VIS-22) questionnaire. Results: Sixty patients were included in the study. The mean age was 35.27 +/- 2.24. Male-to-female ratio was 1.1:1. About 51.7% of patients were married. Majority of patients were students (30%). The time of presentation after disease onset was 5 years. About 20% of subjects had positive family history. The common sites were face (75%), lower limb (71.67%), and upper limb (60%), with leukotrichia in 11.7% of patients. The mean VASI score at baseline and at 1-month of follow-up after starting treatment was 4.11 +/- 0.38 and 3.59 +/- 0.58, respectively. The mean DLQI, FDLQI and VIS-22 score were 11.73 +/- 0.80, 10.58 +/- 0.71, and 37.32 +/- 1.53, respectively. VIS-22 and VASI score correlated with changes in DLQI (P < 0.059). Conclusion: Vitiligo largely impairs the QoL of patients. The more the clinical severity (high VASI score), the higher the psychological burden, impairing QoL of patients, and family members.