Quality of life

Authors: Prof. Dr. med. Peter Altmeyer, Prof. Dr. med. Martina Bacharach-Buhles

Last updated on: 14.01.2021

Synonym(s)

DLQI; health related life quality; HRLQ; HRQL; Life satisfaction; LQ

Definition
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Quality of life (QoL) is the physical, psychological and social well-being of an individual (WHO definition of 1949). QoL in this context does not so much include "the objective availability of material and immaterial things", but the degree to which a desired state of physical, psychological and social well-being is actually achieved. QoL can only be measured by a self-assessment of the patient. Standardised questionnaires are suitable for this purpose, which are filled out by the patient himself (self-assessment) or by examiners or family members (external assessment, "proxy survey"). QL should be a target criterion in dermatological therapy studies and should be considered in addition to somatic and, if necessary, economic parameters.

General information
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The validated instruments listed below are available for the assessment of QoL in dermatology:

Adults:
- Cardiff Acne Disability Index (Motley, 1992).
- Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) (Finlay, 1994)
- Dermatology-specific Quality of Life Instrument (Anderson, 1997)
- Eczema Disability Index (Salek, 1993)
- Freiburg Quality of Life Assessment (Augustin, 1997 and 2000)
- Hyperhidrosis Impact Questionnaire (HHIQ) (Lonsdale-Eccles)
- Quality of Life Questionnaire for Arterial Occlusive Disease-86 (Bullinger, 1996)
- Marburg Skin Questionnaire (Stangier, 1996)
- Psoriasis Disability Index (Finlay, 1987)
- Tübingen Questionnaire for Measuring the QoL of CVI Patients (Klyscz, 1998)
- Quality of Life Index for Atopic Dermatitis (QoLIAD) (Whalley et al., 2004).
Children:
- Children Dermatology Life Quality Index (Lewis-Jones, 1995).
- Pediatric Symptom Checklist (Rauch, 1991).

Note(s)
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Maximizing the quality of life in old age is one of several anti-aging goals.

Literature
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Anderson RT, Rajagopalan RV (1997) Development and validation of a quality of life instrument for cutaneous diseases. J Am Acad Dermatol 37: 41-50
Augustin M et al (1997) Development and validation of a disease-specific questionnaire on the quality of life of patients with chronic venous insufficiency. VASA 26: 291-301
Augustin M et al (1999) Quality of Life in Skin Diseases: Comparison of different quality of life questionnaires in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. dermatologist 50: 715-722
Finlay AY et al (1992) Dermatology life quality index (DLQI) - a simple practical measure for routine clinical use. Clin Exp Dermatol 19: 210-216
Klyscz T et al (1998) Quality of life in chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Results of a study using the newly developed Tübingen questionnaire for measuring the quality of life of CVI patients (TLQ-CVI). Dermatologist 49: 372-381
Kupfer J et al (2002) Diagnostic test procedures for dermatology. Hogrefe, Göttingen
Lange S et al (2000) Predictors of the Quality of Life in Patient with Atopic Dermatitis. Dermatol Psychosome 1: 66-70
Lewis-Jones MS, Finlay AY (1995) The Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI): initial validation and practical use. Br J Dermatol 132: 942-949
Lonsdale-Eccles A et al.(2003) Axillary hyperhidrosis:eccrine or apocrine? Clin Exp Dermatol 28: 2-7
Salek MS (1993) Measuring the quality of life patients with skin disease. In: Walker SR, Rosser RM (eds.) Quality of Life Assessment; Key Issues in the 1990s. Kluwer Academic, Lancaster, S. 355-370
Schurer NY (2003) Anti-aging. Facts and visions. dermatologist 54: 833-888
Schäfer T et al (2001) Development of the German Instrument for Quality of Life Assessment in Skin Diseases (DIELH). Dermatologist 52: 492-498
Stangier U et al (1996) Questionnaire for the management of skin diseases (FBH). Manual. Hogrefe Publishing House, Göttingen
Whalley D et al (2004) A new instrument for assessing quality of life in atopic dermatitis: international development of the Quality of Life Index for Atopic Dermatitis (QoLIAD). Br J Dermatol 150: 274-283