Assessment of dermatological quality of life index in patients attending to laser unit

Background and aim Many dermatological diseases have an impact on daily life activity. Dermatology life quality index (DLQI), is a self-administered general dermatology quality of life (QoL) instrument. It is an easy and efficient tool for assessing the QoL in dermatology patients. We aimed to assess the psychological and social impact of chronic dermatological diseases on patients attending the laser unit by using the DLQI questionnaire. Patients and methods This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted on 300 patients showing various clinical forms of dermatological disorders. They were selected from patients who attended the laser unit of the Dermatology and Andrology Department of Al-Azhar University Hospital (Assuit). Results The total mean DLQI was 10.42. Skin disorders presented with poor QoL and high DLQI score were, hirsutism, melasma, acne, rosacea, postburn scar, nevus of otta, Becker’s nevus, and Port wine stain, with mean DLQI score of 16.77, 14.71, 13.63, 12.36, 12.34, 11.55, 11.25, and 10.0, respectively. However, skin disorders presented with mild or moderate DLQI scores were freckles, tattoo, keloid, stria rubra, and hypertrichosis, with mean DLQI scores of 6.16, 6.27, 7.80, 8.20, and 8.47, respectively. Conclusion Most dermatological diseases can affect QoL. DLQI is a valuable tool for the assessment of the impact of different skin disorders on QoL.