Quality of life of patients living with psoriasis: a qualitative study
- PDF / 531,823 Bytes
- 6 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 26 Downloads / 170 Views
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Quality of life of patients living with psoriasis: a qualitative study Silmara Meneguin1* , Natália Aparecida de Godoy1, Camila Fernandes Pollo1, Hélio Amante Miot2 and Cesar de Oliveira3
Abstract Background: Psoriasis is a multifactorial inflammatory disease prevalent in dermatology. We aimed to understand the perceptions of patients living with psoriasis in relation to their quality of life and to identify aspects to improve it. Methods: This is qualitative research carried out in a dermatology outpatient clinic of the São Paulo State University (UNESP) medical school, Botucatu, Brazil, with 81 psoriasis patients. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using the Discourse of the Collective Subject method (DCS). Results: Quality of life was linked to well-being, happiness, leisure, good food and financial stability. However, disease symptoms, social and clothing restrictions, impairment of professional activities and the absence of a cure, negatively influenced their perceptions. Suggestions for improvements included an increase of public awareness, stress reduction, disease acceptance and multidisciplinary care. Conclusion: The meanings of quality of life revealed by the participants are subjective, multidimensional, linked to moments experienced by them and to the health-disease process. Public health policies promoting reduction in social stigma and stress as well as multidisciplinary approaches towards care can contribute to improvements of QoL in psoriasis. Keywords: Psoriasis, Quality of life, Dermatology, Nursing
Background Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis characterized by the appearance of erythematous-desquamative, symmetric plaques with white-silver desquamation, which may present extracutaneous manifestations, such as arthritis and uveitis [1]. In Brazil, its prevalence is estimated between 1.1 and 1.5% and represents between 4.0 and 4.8% of dermatological consultations [1–4]. The social and psychological impacts caused by psoriasis are usually underestimated by health professionals [5]. As with other immune-mediated complex diseases, there is no definitive cure for psoriasis, and the current * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Department of Nursing, Botucatu Medical School, Paulista State University, São Paulo, Brazil Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
available treatment only decreases disease activity and improves symptoms [3]. Psoriasis is a chronic and recurrent disease that affects visible areas and joints and impacts on quality of life [6]. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines quality of life as the individual’s perception of their position in life, in the context of the culture and value system in which they live, in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns [7]. However, three aspects are common in all definitions: subjectivity, dimensionality and bipolarity [8]. Based on the assumption that dermatoses can affect self-image and have a great potential for triggering processes
Data Loading...
