Quality of life in patients with acne in Erbil city

Background: Acne is a very common condition and has a substantial impact on patients' quality of life. This study was carried out to determine the impact of acne and its clinical severity on health related quality of life in a group of patients attending private clinic in Erbil city, Iraq. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between July 1st, 2011 and November 1st, 2011. A convenience sample of 510 patients attending private clinic in Erbil city was taken. Verbal informed consent was obtained from all participants. The Cardiff acne disability index (CADI) was used in this study. Results: The sample included 510 patients (173 males and 337 females); their mean +/- SD age was 20.08 +/- 4.23 years (ranged from 11 to 36 years) with a male: female ratio of 0.41:1. The mean +/- SD ages of males and females were 18.62 +/- 3.19 and 20.83 +/- 4.49 years, respectively (P < 0.001). Results revealed that there is significant association between age and quality of life impairment (P < 0.001), and it revealed that quality of life was more impaired (47.2%) among female than that (37.6%) among male patients (P = 0.038). There was significant association between grading of acne and QOL impairment (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Acne negatively affects quality of life, females were more affected than the males, age group 21-25 more than the other age groups and the greater the grade "severity" of acne, the greater the level of impairment of quality of life.