Study on Clinico-Epidemiology and Quality of Life in Patients of Acne Vulgaris in a Tertiary Health Care Centre

Background: Acne is a chronic multifactorial inflammatory disorder of pilosebaceous unit. It is frequently seen in adolescents and young adults. Acne leads to significant psychological distress, social anxiety and impairs quality of life in patients Aim: To assess demographic variables and Quality of life in patients with Acne vulgaris. Method: This was a hospital-based, observational, pre-structured, questionnaire-based study done in 1015 patients who attended the Skin and VD, OPD of Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, from January 2021 to June 2022. Results: A total of 1015 patients were included in the study with a female to male ratio of 1.2:1. The age of the patients ranged from 14-35 years. Majority of the study participants were students (51.4%). Most common site affected was face (68%). Dermatology life quality index (DLQI) score ranged from from 1 to 20 with mean score of 8.18 ± 4.45. Overall quality of life assessment showed moderate to very large effect in patients with Acne Vulgaris depending on the severity of the disease. Conclusion: Acne Vulgaris negatively impacts quality of life. This effect is more pronounced in female patients and young adults with severe acne. Proper counselling and psycho-social support should be provided to improve the Quality of life in these patients