QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH ACNE VULGARIS: A SINGLE TERTIARY-CARE CENTER EXPERIENCE

Background: Acne Vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilo-sebaceous glands with a lifetime prevalence
of 85-90%. Acne vulgaris has a significant impact on quality of life, affecting social behaviour, career, and social relationship.
Our aim was to determine the differences in mean DLQI scores among patients with acne vulgaris. This will
help in determining the effect of severity of acne vulgaris on the quality of life of adult dermatology patients.
Methods: It was a prospective cross-sectional study which was conducted at the Department of Dermatology, Department
of Dermatology, Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital, Bannu, from June 2014 to December 2015. Data was collected
using a 10 items instrument.
Results: The study included 138 patients with acne. The mean age was 20.7±3.16 years. The duration of illness ranged
from 6 months to 7 years with a mean of 2.6±1.2 years. The DLQI scores had no linear relation to age of the patients;
Pearson correlation coefficient= 0.086; p= 0.318.
Conclusions: Acne vulgaris significantly affects patients’ quality of life. The magnitude of effect on quality of life is
significantly determined by severity of acne. Severe of acne effects quality of life more than mild and moderate acne