Impact of Onychomycosis on the Quality of Life: Dermatology Life Quality Index-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Onychomycosis (OM) is a common fungal infection of the nail unit with a worldwide prevalence of 5%. Though apparently a benign and innocuous entity, it carries significant psychosocial morbidity. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) is based on a simple practical questionnaire that considers multiple psychological and social domains. Its utility in OM by far remains unexplored. OBJECTIVE: To determine the DLQI in patients suffering from OM. METHODS: The DLQI questionnaire was answered by 100 patients with an established diagnosis of OM. RESULTS: The mean DLQI of our study subjects was 6.1 ± 3.3. Most patients (46%) belonged to the DLQI 2 group (moderate effect). Among these, most patients reported disease duration of 1-5 years (50%). Among patients responding to DLQI 3 (very large effect), a higher significant proportion were females (66.7%). The most inconvenient domain was seeking treatment for OM and social embarrassment due to the disease. CONCLUSION: As DLQI is an easy scoring method, it can be used for assessing quality of health in OM. OM causes moderate effect on quality of life (mostly DLQI 2), thereby making its treatment mandatory.