Quality of life among adolescents with acne in a tertiary referral centre in Bangalore, South India

Background: Acne is a common problem in adolescent children and has a considerable impact on their quality of life (QoL). Aims: The impact of acne on QoL in Indian adolescent patients remains undocumented. The study was undertaken to detect the impact of acne vulgaris in adolescents on the QoL using two questionnaires: the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) and the Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI). Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based, prospective, cross-sectional, prestructured, questionnaire-based study done on 140 consenting individuals, who attended the Acne Clinic of our Dermatology Outpatient Department. Acne vulgaris was graded using simple grading system. QoL was measured using a combination of skin disease-specific (CDLQI) and acne-specific (CADI) questionnaires. Results: The study population included 140 cases with a female:male ratio of 1.5:1. Comedones (123, 87.9%) were the most common type of lesion. Grade I acne was the most common clinical type (76.4%). There was a statistically significant difference between acne severity and gender. The overall mean CDLQI score (7.21 of maximum 30) and the overall mean CADI score (4.8 of maximum 15) were low, indicating a mild impairment of QoL among adolescents. Statistically significant association was noted between CDLQI and CADI scores and grade of acne. There was no statistically significant association noted between CDLQI and CADI scores and gender. Conclusion: Although acne had an impact on patient's QoL, it was less severe in our study. The CDLQI and CADI questionnaires represent simple and reliable instruments for the assessment of QoL among adolescents and should be incorporated when managing acne patients to provide better and appropriate care