Assessment of general health and quality of life in patients with acne using a validated generic questionnaire.

OBJECTIVES

The study was designed to utilize the SF-36, a validated generic questionnaire, to assess acne patients' view of their general health and quality of life.

METHODS

The subjects were 454 acne patients (237 males, 217 females) visiting an outpatient clinic at Qassim University. An Arabic translation of the SF-36 questionnaire, culturally adapted and validated, was used to assess eight life-quality dimensions. Data regarding demographics, disease grade, duration, and treatment were also included in the questionnaire. The internal consistency reliability of the multi-item scales was assessed using Cronbach's coefficient alpha. Descriptive statistics were conducted with independent and paired-sample t-tests as well as one-way ANOVA for metric variables; and Xi(2) and Fisher's exact tests were used for categorical variables. Spearman's rank correlation was used for associations. All tests were two-sided, and the level of significance was set at phi < 0.05.

RESULTS

The scores for physical functioning, role physical, role emotional, and vitality dimensions were below 60%. About 81.5% of respondents rated their health as either "fair" or "poor", and only 25% said their general health was better than the previous year. Females were more likely to report better general health than males (phi = 0.001). Education level negatively correlated with mental health, role emotional, social functioning, general health, and bodily pain. Rural patients showed better general health (phi = 0.003). Married persons rated their general health better than single patients (phi = 0.002). Mild and shorter-duration acne was associated with a better general health score compared to the previous year (phi = 0.01 and 0.001, respectively). Patients that had received treatment were significantly better regarding role physical, vitality, and mental health dimensions, whereas topical treatment was significantly better in the vitality dimension than oral therapy. The patients treated also rated their general health better than the previous year (phi = 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of acne vulgaris per se is the most significant factor underlying patients' low perception of their general health. Patients' education about the disease and social support play a considerable role in better disease perception and can improve patients' quality of life.