Quality of Life, Disability, and Fungal Neglected Tropical Diseases

Area of Science:

• Mycology
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

Background:

• Fungal neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) like sporotrichosis, chromoblastomycosis, eumycetoma, and paracoccidioidomycosis present a substantial disability burden.
• These diseases can lead to disfigurement, stigmatization, impaired function, and reduced quality of life.
• Current understanding of the global disability impact of these fungal NTDs is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current literature on the disability burden associated with four major fungal NTDs.
• To identify knowledge gaps in understanding the global impact of these diseases.
• To describe existing tools that can be utilized to address these knowledge gaps.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of studies on fungal NTDs and their disability impact.
• Analysis of available tools for quantifying disability, quality of life, and mental health in affected populations.
• Synthesis of findings to highlight current challenges and potential solutions.

Main Results:

• Fungal NTDs cause significant physical and functional impairments, affecting daily living and employment.
• Standardized tools for quantifying disability specifically for these fungal NTDs are scarce.
• Validated tools for assessing quality of life and mental health exist and are applicable to these patient groups.

Conclusions:

• Fungal NTDs are a major cause of disability, necessitating greater attention.
• Improved assessment of quality of life and mental health consequences is crucial for comprehensive health planning.
• Adopting and adapting existing measurement tools can help fill knowledge gaps and improve care for individuals affected by fungal NTDs.