The impact of atopic dermatitis on quality of life in adults: a systematic review

Abstract

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition which has a significant impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Less is known about the impact of AD on adults despite the fact that they represent a more severe and persistent subset of cases. In order to understand current knowledge, a systematic review was conducted focussing on the impact of AD on HRQol in adults. Methods: Electronic searches were conducted using: MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science.. Full papers published in English involving adults aged 18years and over measuring quality of life were identified and subjected to full review. Findings: Out of the 4602 records retrieved from databases, 23 articles were eligible for inclusion. Eighteen studies reported HRQoL in relation to disease severity and all found significant correlations between disease severity and HRQoL; patients with severe AD reported poorer HRQoL than those with moderate or mild AD. Seven studies looked at differences between AD groups and healthy controls; all 7 found significantly lower HRQoL in AD patients than controls. AD also had a greater impact on HRQoL compared to Psoriasis and Vitiligo. Discussion: The findings of this review highlight the significant impact that AD has on HRQoL in adult patients and the need for HRQoL measures to be implemented in clinical assessments for AD. This will help identify potential deficits in patient care, enhance disease management and consequently improve HRQoL. A meta-analysis of HRQoL is now being conducted to assess the significance of these findings across studies.