Characteristics and quality of life in pemphigus patients

Pemphigus is an autoimmune blistering disease affecting the skin and mucus membranes. It is a debilitating skin condition with painful bullae and erosions, which may limit the patient's daily activities. Therefore, measuring the quality of life (QoL) from the perspective of physical, functional, social, and emotional well-being is important to address the disease burden. This study aims to review the demography and assess the impact of disease on QoL in pemphigus patients at the Department of Dermatology, Hospital Melaka.

This is a single-centre, crosssectional study on the characteristics and QoL among the pemphigus patients at the Department of Dermatology, Melaka General Hospital, from August 2020 to July 2021. Patients' information was collected, and each patient was assessed objectively on the disease severity physically using the Pemphigus Disease Area Index (PDAI) scoring system. The disease severity was then assessed subjectively, in which each participant was given three questionnaires to answer, namely the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain and itch, and Autoimmune Bullous Disease Quality of Life (ABQOL).

There were a total of 30 pemphigus patients (13 males, 17 females), with an average age of 54.0 ± 13.6 years. Our study population had low median PDAI score (2.0 ± 4.0) with low median DLQI (3.0 ± 8.0) and ABQOL (11.0 ± 12.0). The median VAS scores for pain (1.0 ± 2.0) and itch (2.0 ± 3.0) were also low. Patients with tertiary educational qualification reported higher median DLQI (10.0 ± 12.0, p = 0.016) and ABQOL (21.0 ± 23.0, p = 0.026). Significant correlation was neither observed between PDAI and DLQI scores nor observed between PDAI and ABQOL scores. The DLQI and ABQOL scores were not affected by gender, age, ethnicity, and duration of illness.

Most of the patients in our study cohort had low DLQI and ABQOL scores, with mild clinical severity, as evidenced by low PDAI and VAS scores for both pain and itch. Disease severity had no correlation with QoL in our study. However, educational level showed significant influence on the QoL.