Patients with inflammatory skin diseases have high stress scores

About two-thirds of patients with inflammatory skin diseases have high reported stress scores, according to a letter to the editor published online Feb. 19 in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Laurent Misery, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Brest in France, and colleagues conducted an observational, cross-sectional, noncomparative study between October 2020 and February 2021 to examine perceived stress in adults with adult acne (AA), atopic dermatitis (AD), psoriasis (P), or hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). The validated perceived stress scale was used to assess stress, and quality of life (QoL) was measured with the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Data were included for 7,273 participants: 1,605 with AA; 2,538 with AD; 2,329 with P; and 801 with HS.

The researchers found that 66.3% of the participants reported stress scores greater than 27 (indicating high perceived stress). For AA, AD, and P patients, but not for those with HS, the more severe the condition, the higher the perceived stress scores. Less than 15% of patients had been offered psychological support, and only two out of three patients had accepted this support. The DLQI score was significantly higher, and QoL was affected more in patients with AA, AD, and P, especially when stress scores were greater than 27.

“In patients with chronic inflammatory skin diseases, psychological stress is an important issue, requiring specific attention and personalized psychological support,” the authors write.

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