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Cutaneous concerns of scleroderma patients
Dana L Paquette1, Vincent Falanga
1Boston University School of Medicine and Roger Williams Medical Center, Department of Dermatology and Skin Surgery, Providence, RI 02908, USA.
The Journal of Dermatology
|June 18, 2003
Summary
Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) patients report significant aesthetic concerns, particularly regarding facial features like thin lips and mouth wrinkles. These concerns increase with age and disease duration.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Rheumatology
- Quality of Life Studies
Background:
- Scleroderma, or systemic sclerosis, presents striking facial and oral clinical features.
- Aesthetic concerns significantly impact patient quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the most bothersome aesthetic issues for scleroderma patients.
- To analyze differences in aesthetic concerns based on age and gender.
Main Methods:
- A survey was mailed to 1,000 scleroderma patients.
- 303 completed surveys assessed concern levels for 14 facial and non-facial physical variables.
- Respondents rated concerns on a scale from great (1) to none (4).
Main Results:
- High concern rates were reported for thin lips (73%), mouth furrows (80%), loss of facial lines (68%), and smaller, tighter mouth (77%).
- Facial features elicited significantly higher concern (p<0.0001) than non-facial features.
- Concern over central facial features increased with advancing age and longer disease duration (p<0.0001).
Conclusions:
- The majority of systemic sclerosis patients experience significant aesthetic distress related to facial changes.
- Facial aesthetic concerns in scleroderma are age-dependent and worsen over time.