Quality of life with vitiligo: comparison of male and female muslim patients in Iran.

Background: Vitiligo is a chronic pigmentary disorder of the skin that, although not life threatening, may considerably influence the psychological well-being of patients. It has been suggested that vitiligo patients suffer from low self-esteem, poor body image, and poor quality of life (QOL).

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore and compare QOL in male and female patients with vitiligo in Iran.

Methods: To obtain the patients' self-assessment of QOL, we used a 17-item multiple-choice questionnaire based on the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). All statistics used 2-way analysis of variance comparisons with an (alpha-risk of 5%. DLQI scores were assessed using nonparametric comparisons, and qualitative variables were compared with xi(2) testing. Categorical regression analyses were also used as an exploratory aim.

Results: A total of 77 Muslim patients with vitiligo (53 females, 24 males; mean age, 29.3 years) were included in this survey. The mean (SD) DLQI score of 42.9 (11.4) for females was lower than that of 51.6 (8.8) for males (P = 0.002). Female patients experienced significantly more impairment of general and psychological health (P < 0.003), social relationships (P < 0.02), and sexual activity (P < 0.001) than did male patients.

Conclusions: This study indicates the specific areas of patients' lives that are most affected by vitiligo. Gender and location of disease independently affect QOL in Muslim patients in Iran. Women with vitiligo experience greater QOL impairment than their male counterparts.