A descriptive study on quality of life, depression and anxiety in chronic urticaria patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Bengaluru, South India

Background: Chronic urticaria (CU) is a common skin disorder characterized by the recurrent appearance of wheals typically associated with pruritis and/or angioedema for more than 6 weeks. It has a significant impact on patient’s quality of life (QoL). Hence it is of utmost importance to identify the impact of CU on the patient’s life and psychiatric comorbidities associated with it. The objectives of the study were to assess the effect of chronic urticaria on the quality of life of the patient; to assess the depression in patients with chronic urticaria; to assess the anxiety in patients with urticaria.Methods: A total of 106 patients with chronic urticaria attending allergy clinic, KIMS Hospital during November-January 2019 (3 months) were included in the study. Informed consent was obtained. Each patient was interviewed using pretested questionnaire developed using chronic urticaria on quality of life: (CU-Q2oL), patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and general anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7). Data was entered in Epi-info7 and descriptive statistics were used.Results: There were 43 (40.6%) males and 63 (59.4%) females. The mean age of the patients was 36.5±11.7 years. Quality of life was affected A lot in 9.5% of the patients and is somewhat affected in 38.7% of the CU patients. As much as 42.5% of them suffered from some grade of depression and 34.9% of them suffered from anxiety.Conclusions: Chronic urticaria has a significant role in impairment of QOL and also leads to mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety.