Abstract

Vulval dermatoses can have various presentations from being asymptomatic to showing a chronic associated disability. It is difficult to evaluate and manage the genital dermatoses owing to the physical disease expression and its multifactorial nature which severely affects the quality of life in affected subjects. Aim: The present clinical study was aimed to study the sociodemographic and clinical pattern in vulval dermatoses and its impact on quality of life with DLQI (dermatology life quality index). Methods: The study assessed female subjects from all age groups having vulval lesions. Depending on the site assessed, lesions were categorized as oro genital and skin lesions, oro genital lesions, genital and skin lesions, and genital lesions alone. DLQI questionnaire was used to assess DLQI scores and quality of life. Results: Among 260 subjects, the majority of the participants were in the age range of 31-40 years with 33.8% (n=88) subjects, were illiterate 49.61% (n=129), housewives 82.69% (n=215), and married with 91.92% (n=239) study subjects respectively. In the majority of study subjects, the chief complaint reported was itching in 43.07% (n=112) of study subjects. The vulval dermatoses were most commonly diagnosed as infections followed by inflammatory and immunobullous disease in 76.92% (n=200), 15% (n=39), and 1.53% (n=4) study subjects respectively. Significantly higher DLQI scores were seen in subjects with oral. Skin and genital involvement with p<0.05 and the highest mean DLQI scores were seen in subjects with immunobullous disorders. Conclusion: The study concludes that subjects with oral, skin, and genital lesions have the highest DLQI scores having a high impact on their quality of life. It is vital to assess the impact of disease on their quality of life as it helps in better disease management and decreases the disease duration.

Description