Assessing the impact of childhood and adolescent chronic plaque psoriasis on parents/caregivers using the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI): A cross-sectional study

Background Chronic childhood diseases are a burden for paediatric patients and their caregivers. Limited data are available on the effect of paediatric psoriasis on the caregiver’s well-being and quality of life. Objective To assess the impact of childhood and adolescent chronic plaque psoriasis on parents/caregivers quality of life. Methods A single-centre cross-sectional study was performed which included 102 children with psoriasis and their caregivers. Clinico-demographic data of children and socio-demographic details of primary caregivers were collected. Out of pocket expenditure for treatment was calculated for all the patients. The quality of life of children was assessed using the Children’s Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) and the caregiver’s quality of life was assessed using the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI). Results CDLQI was impaired in 85.29 % of children with a median score of 7. The item ‘symptoms’ was most commonly affected (87.2%), followed by ‘self-conscious’ (70.5%) and ‘treatment’ (65.6%). FDLQI was impaired in 96.1% of caregivers with a median value of 11. The most affected FDLQI items were ‘emotional’ in 95%, followed by ‘time-spent’ in 78.4%. Almost 40% of patients had catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) and their FDLQI was significantly higher (p−0.014) compared to caregivers who did not experience catastrophic health expenditure. FDLQI had a positive relationship with the involvement of exposed body sites (p−0.003), CDLQI (p−0.000), treatment expense (p−0.031) and a negative correlation with duration of illness (p−0.04). Conclusion Childhood psoriasis has a negative impact on the quality of life of the children and caregivers highlighting the need for intervention strategies for both.