Health-related quality of life in patients with cutaneous rosacea: a systematic review

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of rosacea patients is a relevant outcome measure in research and clinical practice. A review of the literature was systematically carried out regarding levels of HRQoL of patients with rosacea, including associations between HRQoL scores, demographic and clinical characteristics. Searches were performed in Cochrane, PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and LILACS. HRQoL studies in patients with cutaneous rosacea, using validated HRQoL instruments, published between 1991 and 2014, were included. Data extraction was performed independently by 2 authors. Study design, demographics, clinical characteristics and HRQoL scores were summarized per HRQoL questionnaire. Associations between HRQoL, demographic and clinical characteristics were explored. Out of 984 references, 12 studies were included. Three HRQoL instruments were used: Short Form-36 (SF-36), Dermatology Life Questionnaire Index (DLQI) and Rosacea Quality of Life Index (RosaQoL). Because of the heterogeneity of the included studies, data synthesis was hardly feasible. All studies reported a negative impact on HRQoL, which appeared to be associated with disease severity and age. Results regarding the association with sex and subtype were mixed. With regard to the clinical relevance of HRQoL scores of rosacea patients, it seems that rosacea has a small to moderate effect on HRQoL.