QOL in Children with Atopic Dermatis.

Abstract

Burden of atopic dermatitis, such as chronically progressing rash, strong itching, sleep disorder or mental restlessness by itch, a matter of physical appearance due to rashes, and troublesome of topical treatment, etc., on overall life is not small. Atopic dermatitis causes electrolyte imbalance and poor weight gain in infants, and sometimes it is closely involved in growth and development of infants. Especially among pediatric patients, burden affects tremendously not only children themselves but also their parents. Therefore, it is very important to assess objectively not only rash but also itching and its impact on sense of burden upon medical treatment. The improvement of QOL was observed when children with atopic dermatitis suffering from remained itch were administered with levocetirizine, and subsequently assessed by using the Japanese QOL questionnaire for childhood dermatosis. Therefore it is also desirable to take QOL of children into account in their medical treatment.Skin Research, Suppl. 18: 65-69, 2012