Health-related quality of life impact of scabies in the Solomon Islands. (28th June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lake, Susanna J; Engelman, Daniel; Sokana, Oliver; Nasi, Titus; Boara, Dickson; Marks, Michael; Whitfeld, Margot J; Romani, Lucia; Kaldor, John M; Steer, Andrew C; Carvalho, Natalie
• Is Part Of: Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Volume 116:Number 2(2022)
• Page Start: 148
• Page End: 156
• Publication Date: 2021-06-28
• Subjects: Scabies -- Quality of life -- Solomon Islands; Tropical medicine -- Periodicals; 616.9883
• DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/trab096
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0035-9203

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Scabies causes intense itching and skin lesions. A small number of studies have shown that scabies impacts health-related quality of life (HRQoL), but no studies have been conducted in the Pacific region. We assessed the impact of scabies on HRQoL in a high-prevalence setting using the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). We also assessed the validity of these tools in a Pacific Island population. Methods: The study was conducted in the Solomon Islands. Participants with and without skin disease were randomly selected. HRQoL indices were scored on a scale of 0–30. Results: We surveyed 1051 adults (91 with scabies) and 604 children (103 with scabies). Scabies had a small impact on HRQoL, with a median DLQI score of 2 (interquartile range [IQR] 0–6) and a CDLQI score of 2 (IQR 0–4). Scores increased linearly with severity. The greatest impact on QoL was due to itch, sleep disturbance and impacts on education and employment. Conclusions: Scabies has a small but measurable impact on HRQoL. The DLQI and CDLQI scores were discriminated between the skin-related QoL of patients with scabies and the control group, indicating that these tools are appropriate to measure skin-related QoL in the Solomon Islands.