Health-Related Quality of Life, Depression and Anxiety Correlate with the Degree of Hirsutism

• Background: Hirsutism has a negative impact on womens quality of life. The relation between quality of life, anxiety, depression and the level of hairiness has not been described. Aims: To investigate the correlations between the levels of hairiness, quality of life, anxiety and depression. Methods: 200 patients from Malmo, Orebro and Uppsala, who had been in contact with the clinics for problems with excessive hair growth, were invited to answer a self-administered questionnaire including sociodemographic questions, EQ-5D index score, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLOI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Ferriman-Gallwey scale (F-G); of these, 127 women participated in the study. Results: The mean values were: EQ-5D index 0.73 (SD = 0.27), EQ visual analogue scale 61.0 (SD = 22.6), HADS-anxiety 9.5 +/- 5.3 and HADS-depression 6.5 +/- 4.6. The mean DLQI was 11.8 +/- 8.4, indicating a very large effect on patients lives. All were significantly correlated with the amount of hairiness. Conclusions: Higher levels of hair growth were significantly correlated with a lower level of quality of life and symptoms of both anxiety and depression.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Dermatologi och venereologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Dermatology and Venereal Diseases (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Hirsutism

Ferriman-Gallwey scale

Poor health-related quality of life

Dermatology Life Quality Index

EQ-5D index score

Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

Low health status

TECHNOLOGY

TEKNIKVETENSKAP

Medicine

Hälsovetenskap

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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