A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF DERMATOPHYTOSIS ON QUALITY OF LIFE

Abstract

Introduction: Dermatophytosis is a type of skin infection caused by fungi. This infection is also known as ringworm. In this infection, itchy, scaly, red-colored, circular rashes appear on the skin. Almost 25% of the population is affected by dermatophytosis, and this infectious creature affects almost 12-15% of the population in its lifespan.

Aims and Objectives: The study intended to find out the Quality of Life of the patients with dermatophytosis and analyze them in more details.

Materials and Methods: This is a prospective observational study conducted with 40 patients. The study followed Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DQLI) questionnaire to assess the Quality of Life (QoL) of the patients with dermatophytosis. Based on Likert scale, each question was marked by the participant and then scored.

Result: The study found that there are 27.5% of the patients whose QoL impacted severely while Moderate Impact on QoL was being found on 35% of the patients which was highest. Only 5% of the patients had totally impaired QoL, followed by 20% of the patients with Mild Impact and 12.5% of patients with no impact on QoL.

Conclusion: The study concluded that mostly the patients had moderate to severe impact on Quality of Life (QoL) due to dermatophytosis. The study further concluded that the impact is more on the females’ lives than males.

Keywords: dqli, dermatophytosis, fungal infection, quality of life