Evaluation of the quality of life and psychological distress of patients with different dermatoses in a dermatology referral center in southern Brazil

Some dermatoses affect the personal, professional and social lives of patients as a result of their unsightliness. It is important to pay appropriate attention in the overall evaluation of these individuals in order to implement a more effective therapeutic approach. To evaluate the quality of life and the incidence of psychological distress in patients receiving care at a dermatology clinic. A cross-sectional study. Following consultation, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20) were applied. One thousand patients were interviewed, 77.2% of whom were women. Most patients were in the 4160 year age-group. Dermatoses had no effect at all on the quality of life of 21.5% of patients, a small effect in 34.2% of cases, a moderate effect in 21.6%, a very large effect in 19.3% and an extremely large effect in 3.4% of patients. No statistically significant correlation was found between psychological distress and dermatoses. Comparison of the two questionnaires showed a statistically significant association between the presence of psychological distress and poorer quality of life (p