JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The outbreak of COVID-19 has profoundly influenced the lifestyle of the public, while the impacts varied across subgroups of people. The pandemic-related impacts on health outcomes of skin diseases are unknown.

Objective:

To study the association of the COVID-19 pandemic-related impacts with health-related quality of life in patients with skin diseases.

Methods:

This was a cross-sectional study among Chinese patients with skin diseases. A self-administered online questionnaire was distributed through social media. Demographic and clinical data, and pandemic-related impacts (isolation status, income change and employment status) were collected. The main outcomes included perceived stress (visual analog scale), symptoms of anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) and depression (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire), quality of life (Dermatology Life Quality Index), and health utility mapping from the EQ-5D-3L. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the associations.

Results:

A total of 506 patients with skin diseases accomplished the survey. The mean age of the patients was 33.5±14.0 years, and 42.9% (217/506) were male. Among them, 25.3% were quarantined, 20.2% reported unemployment, and 62.7% reported decrease or loss of income since the pandemic. The pandemic-related impacts were significantly associated with impaired mental-wellbeing and quality of life with different effece sizes. Unemployment and complete loss of income were associated with the highest risks of adverse outcomes, with 110% to 162% increase in the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and impaired quality of life.

Conclusions:

Isolation, income loss, and unemployment are associated with the impaired health-related quality of life in patients with skin diseases since the COVID-19 pandemic.