A Cross-Sectional Study on the Relationship Between Rosacea Severity and Quality of Life or Psychological State

BACKGROUND: Rosacea appears predominantly in highly visible areas of the facial region. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the psychological status and quality of life(QOL) of rosacea. METHODS: We used a hospital-based cross-sectional analytical study design between Jan 1, 2020, and Jan 1, 2021. We analyzed the differences and correlations in the severity of rosacea and its impacts on QOL and mental health, separately. RESULTS: 469 patients with rosacea were included. The mean Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score was 12.6±7.7 and the affected level of DLQI was moderately severe. The total score of Rosacea-specific Quality-of-Life instrument (RosQol) was 2.34 ± 0.84, and the scores of emotion, symptoms, and function were 2.41 ± 0.99, 2.37 ±0.82, and 2.03 ± 0.89, respectively. 44.8% of patients suffered from anxiety and 37.5% from depression. There were statistically significant differences in the incidence of anxiety (p <0.001), the DLQL (p =0.02), RosQol emotion (p =0.04), symptom (p <0.01) and function (p =0.02) scores in the different severity. In addition, worsening QOL was significantly associated with increased disease severity [Spearman’s rank correlation index (r) ranging from 0.171 to 0.266,p<0.01 (RosQol); r =0.104,p =0.024 (DLQI)]. There was also a positive correlation between anxiety [r =0.155; p<0.01] and the different severity levels. CONCLUSION: Rosacea maybe has a greater significant impact on patient’s QOL and mental health. And the impact of QOL and mental health tend to deteriorate significantly with increasing disease severity. The relationship suggests that QOL assessment is of great interest in clinical practice and should be further explored.