Background. Vitiligo is a common disease with an unknown etiology. It is a chronic disease which causes severe disfigurement, and so may significantly affect a patient’s quality of life. This study was designed to ev...Background. Vitiligo is a common disease with an unknown etiology. It is a chronic disease which causes severe disfigurement, and so may significantly affect a patient’s quality of life. This study was designed to evaluate the illness perception and quality of life in patients with vitiligo. Patients and methods. A questionnaireconsistingof25questionsonthecauses,timeline, consequences, and control of disease was given to 80 patients with vitiligo attending a private skin clinic in Tehran, Iran, in 1999. The roles of age, sex, duration of disease, education, extent of disease, and family history of vitiligo were assessed. Results. Eighty patients (22 males and 57 females, one not mentioned), with a mean age of 30 years (SD=11 years) and a disease duration of 7.1 years (SD=7.8 years), completed the questionnaire; 62.5%of the patients believed that stress played a role in their disease; 31.3%believed that their genetic background played a role in their disease, more so in patients with a positive family history of vitiligo. Almost one-half of patients believed that their illness had major consequences on their lives. One-half of patients believed that their illness was likelytobepermanentratherthantemporary,moresoinpatients with a longer duration of disease and a higher level of education. Only 60%of patients considered that their treatments were effective. Conclusion. Vitiligo may considerably affect various aspects of patients’lives. The knowledge of patients about the causes and course of their disease is limited.展开更多
文摘Background. Vitiligo is a common disease with an unknown etiology. It is a chronic disease which causes severe disfigurement, and so may significantly affect a patient’s quality of life. This study was designed to evaluate the illness perception and quality of life in patients with vitiligo. Patients and methods. A questionnaireconsistingof25questionsonthecauses,timeline, consequences, and control of disease was given to 80 patients with vitiligo attending a private skin clinic in Tehran, Iran, in 1999. The roles of age, sex, duration of disease, education, extent of disease, and family history of vitiligo were assessed. Results. Eighty patients (22 males and 57 females, one not mentioned), with a mean age of 30 years (SD=11 years) and a disease duration of 7.1 years (SD=7.8 years), completed the questionnaire; 62.5%of the patients believed that stress played a role in their disease; 31.3%believed that their genetic background played a role in their disease, more so in patients with a positive family history of vitiligo. Almost one-half of patients believed that their illness had major consequences on their lives. One-half of patients believed that their illness was likelytobepermanentratherthantemporary,moresoinpatients with a longer duration of disease and a higher level of education. Only 60%of patients considered that their treatments were effective. Conclusion. Vitiligo may considerably affect various aspects of patients’lives. The knowledge of patients about the causes and course of their disease is limited.
