Evaluative Study Of Acne Vulgaris And It’s Impact On Dermatological Life Quality Index In Young Adults In A Tertiary Care Centre, A One Year Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background and objectives: Acne vulgaris is a common and chronic dermatological disorder of pilosebaceous follicles of face and upper trunk mainly affecting young adults and adolescents. Clinically, it is characterized by polymorphic lesions like, comedones, papules, pustules, nodules and cysts. Scarring is one of the dreaded complication as it scars both skin and mind. The patients experience psychological burdens like depression, anxiety, low self esteem. The objectives of this study are, to evaluate dermatological life quality index (DLQI) in young adult patients suffering from acne vulgaris and to determine correlation between acne severity and DLQI. Material and methods: The present study is a one year cross-sectional study from January 2016 to December 2016. Total 100 patients were included in study. Patients in age group of 18-30 years attending dermatology out patient department with all grades of acne vulgaris were included. Demographic data was recorded. Diagnosis was established by detailed history and clinical examination. Patients were asked to fill Dermatological life quality index questionnaire. Grading of acne vulgaris was done by simple grading system proposed by Indian authors. Correlation between severity of acne vulgaris and DLQI was done using Spearman’s rank correlation method. Results: Amongst 100 patients studied, largest number of patients had grade 2 of acne vulgaris. Significant association between severity of acne with increasing age and female gender was observed. Also severity of acne was associated with history of manual picking of lesions. Maximum number of patients had DLQI ranging from 6 to 11, suggesting moderate effect on quality of life. A positive and significant relationship was observed between Grades of acne and DLQI (Spearman R =0.2326, p=0.01989) at 5% level of significance. It was found that, the higher the grades of acne, the higher is the effect of DLQI. Conclusion: A positive and significant relationship was observed between grades of acne and DLQI, meaning higher the grades of acne higher is the effect of DLQI.