Assessment of quality of life among school childrenwith atopic dermatitis in a locality in Cairo

Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a disease of great morbidity, and its incidence seems to be increasing. AD has a great impact on the lives of affected patients. Objective To study the effect of AD on the quality of life (QOL) of school children in a locality in Cairo. Methods One hundred school children between 6 and 12 years of age suffering from AD were included in the study. Disease severity was estimated using the SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. The Children’s Dermatology Life Quality Index was used to evaluate the effect of AD on the QOL. The results were statistically analyzed using SPSS software (IBM Inc., Somers, NY, USA). Results Of the 100 children with AD (50 boys and 50 girls), 76 showed affected QOL. QOL correlated with the SCORAD index. The different aspects of life of children with AD were significantly affected by disease severity. Conclusion We have shown a significant correlation between severity of AD and all aspects of life of the affected children. We recommend including QOL measures as a part of the assessment of AD, which may provide additional resources for understanding and managing the disease.