Quality of life and psychological status of patients with pemphigus vulgaris using Dermatology Life Quality Index and General Health Questionnaires

Pemphigus vulgaris with painful chronic blisters and/or erosions on skin and mucosa can impair quality of life (QOL). Therapeutic modalities in the long run can have additional negative impact. There are few studies that have focused on QOL of such patients except in treated cases. The aim of this study was to describe the effect of the disease per se on QOL before receiving treatment and evaluation of psychological status of the patients and its effect on their QOL. A total of 61 patients with newly diagnosed non‐treated pemphigus vulgaris participated in the study. The Persian version of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaire was used to evaluate their QOL and the 28‐item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐28) for their psychological status. In this study, the mean DLQI score was 10.9 ± 6.9. QOL was worse in patients with nasal and pharynx involvement, with positive Nikolsky sign, patients with severe skin involvement and those who showed the symptom of itching. There was a negative correlation between DLQI score and duration of the disease. More than 77% of patients experienced anxiety and depression with more impaired QOL. In conclusion, pemphigus vulgaris is responsible for great alteration in QOL, especially in its severe form. The disease in its initial stage may have greater impact on the QOL. The high probability of anxiety and depression in these patients and its negative effect on QOL should be taken into account in the management of these patients right from the start of the treatment.