Dermatology Life Quality Index in Patients with Dermatophytosis in a Tertiary Care Centre of Bangladesh.

In our country a huge number of populations are suffering from dermatophytosis. During the last few years, the number of patients affected by dermatophytosis has been increasing. Dermatophytosis tends to be prolonged, recurrent and persistent course which can affect quality of life (QoL). The aim of this study was to seek out the effect of dermatophytosis on the quality of life of the patients of dermatophytosis and to analyze its relationship with various demographic and clinical factors. This was a cross-sectional study in which 306 patients aged ≥16 years with dermatophytosis were included and evaluated for impact of dermatophytosis on quality of life using dermatology life quality index (DLQI) questionnaire. Independent sample t-test and one way ANOVA were used to find out statistical associations between various variables and mean DLQI scores, wherever applicable. The mean DLQI score in this study was 13.07±8.51. Majority (39.5%) subjects had a 'very large' effect on the QoL. Mean DLQI was significantly higher in young subjects, patients with longer duration of disease, more body surface area involved, involvement of more than one sites (generalized involvement) and topical steroid containing preparation users (p<0.05). This study revealed that the quality of life is adversely affected by dermatophytosis. Hence, Steps must be taken for proper counseling and management, along with early detection and elimination of topical steroid use in dermatophytosis.