Quality of life assessment among patients with peristomal skin disease.

AIM

No data exist to describe how a skin problem may additionally affect the quality of life (QOL) in ostomates. We have studied the QOL in patients with peristomal skin problems and the variables that may affect it.

METHODS

A total of 141 ostomates (74 cases and 67 controls) received a set of three life quality questionnaires, that is, Short Form-36, Dermatological Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Ostomy Adjustment Scale (OAS).

RESULTS

The mean DLQI score was significantly higher in cases than controls (1.7 vs. 0.8; P=0.0026) (higher scores indicating lower QOL), and the mean OAS score was significantly lower in cases than controls (151 vs. 166; P=0.0083) (lower OAS score indicating poorer adjustment/QOL). Similarly, patients with self-reported peristomal skin problem had a significantly higher mean DLQI score (2.6 vs. 0.8; P=0.004) and a significantly lower OAS score (145 vs. 163; P=0.046) than ostomates who did not report a skin problem, but were diagnosed with a skin problem by a dermatologist. The QOL scores were inversely proportional to the physician-assessed severity of the skin problem.

CONCLUSION

A small but significant negative impact on the QOL was found for ostomates with skin problems compared with ostomates without a skin problem. Similarly, ostomates with self-reported skin problems had scores indicating a lower QOL. The severity of the skin problem as assessed by the physician correlated with the QOL, ostomates with a severer skin problem had lower QOL than those with a milder skin problem.