Quality of life of Turkish children and families of Caucasian origin with atopic dermatitis

Abstract

Introduction and objectives: To determine the quality of life (QoL) in Caucasian children with atopic dermatitis (AD) and their families and possible factors that might impact their QoL. Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, 83 children aged 2–7 with AD and their families were enrolled as the study group, and 83 age-matched healthy children were included as controls. All patients in the AD and control groups were sorted into two age-based groups: (1) 2–4 and (2) 5–7 years of age. The parents of all children completed the Turkish version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). The Family Impact Scale for Dermatological Diseases (FIS-DD) was administered to the study group. Disease severity was evaluated with the Patient-Oriented Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (PO-SCORAD) scale. Results: In both age groups, a negative correlation between the PedsQL and the FIS-DD scores (p < 0.001) was found. A positive correlation was found between the PO-SCORAD and FIS-DD scores among the second age group (p = 0.011). In the first age group, AD patients with comorbid allergic diseases had higher FIS-DD scores than those without any other allergic problems (p = 0.007). Conclusions: We suggest that considering family QoL may positively contribute to the treatment of pre-school age AD children.