Patients With Vitiligo Have Low QOL and High Willingness to Pay for Treatment
Among patients with skin disorders associated with facial discoloration, patients with vitiligo have the worst general health compared with the general population and are the most willing to pay for a complete cure.
Researchers compared the quality of life (QOL) and willingness to pay (WTP) among patients with skin disorders associated with facial discoloration in a single-center, cross-sectional study. Patients completed the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the Short Form 36 (SF-36) health survey questionnaires. The monthly income and WTP for a complete cure of the affected condition information were also gathered from participants.
Of the patients with melasma, lentigo, postinflammatory hyperpigmentation, vitiligo, acne-induced erythema, and rosacea enrolled, the patients with vitiligo, acne-induced erythema, and rosacea reported worse QOL as evaluated by DLQI compared with the other patients. Patients with rosacea were the most affected mentally when using SF-36. Patients with vitiligo had the worst general health scores. No differences among the different diseases were reported in the WTP, but patients with vitiligo were the most willing to pay more than 40% over their income for a complete cure.
“The impact on QOL is different among skin diseases associated with facial discoloration,” concluded the study authors. “Only [patients with] vitiligo reported worse general health as compared [with] the general population, explaining the discordance between life quality scores and WTP in these patients,” they continued.
Reference
Yang TT, Lan CE. Impacts of skin disorders associated with facial discoloration on quality of life: Novel insights explaining discordance between life quality scores and willingness to pay. J Cosmet Dermatol. October 27, 2021. doi:10.1111/jocd.14546
