Korean J Dermatol.  2023 Aug;61(7):412-419.

Quality of Life and Mental Health of Patients with Prurigo Nodularis

• Lee GH
• Myung KB
• Cheong SH

Abstract

Background
Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a severely pruritic chronic skin disease, and its management is challenging. Although some studies have described the natural course and demographics of PN, there are few studies on the quality of life (QOL) or psychological problems in patients with PN.
Objective
This study aimed to evaluate the QOL and psychological problems of PN patients and identify the factors which effect on the QOL and psychological problems of these patients.
Methods
We performed a cross-sectional study of 41 patients with PN who visited the Department of Dermatology at Konyang University Hospital between November 2022 and March 2023. Age, sex, clinical features, itch Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were evaluated through the questionnaire.
Results
PN patients had mean DLQI, BDI, ISI, and BAI scores of 13.9, 15.0, 8.9, and 13.0, respectively. There were no significant differences in the DLQI, BDI, ISI, or BAI scores with respect to sex, smoking, alcohol, drug history, disease duration, or treatment duration. Patients with systemic diseases or other dermatologic diseases were more likely to have higher DLQI scores than those without any associated disease (p=0.043 and p=0.015). Moreover, patients with higher itch NRS scores had higher DLQI and ISI scores (p=0.002 and p=0.030).
Conclusion
We found that PN had a large impact on QOL and mental health. Therefore, we recommend that dermatologists pay close attention to the psychological aspects when treating and educating patients with PN.

Keyword

Anxiety; Depression; Insomnia; Prurigo nodularis; Quality of life