Eckart Haneke

The impact of onychomycosis on quality of life: development of an international onychomycosis-specific questionnaire to measure patient quality of life.

BACKGROUNDnOnychomycosis is a widespread refractory disease deleteriously affecting quality of life via social stigma and disrupting daily activities. Many physicians perceive onychomycosis as a cosmetic rather than a medical problem.nnnOBJECTIVEnOur purpose was to develop a questionnaire-based instrument to quantify the impact of onychomycosis on patients quality of life.nnnMETHODSnThe questionnaire was developed and validated in a multinational cross-sectional study. Completed questionnaires from 532 patients were analyzed: 284 toenail, 248 fingernail (onychomycosis or paronychia).nnnRESULTSnThe degree of quality of life impairment from onychomycosis varied by country studied, possibly reflecting cross-national health perception differences. Longer duration of disease, greater involvement of individual nails, and greater number of nails involved were associated with more serious adverse effects. Many physicians underestimated the associated degree of pain.nnnCONCLUSIONnThe study confirms that onychomycosis physically and psychologically affects patients lives. The questionnaire may be a valuable tool in evaluating the effect of therapeutic agents on quality of life of patients with onychomycosis.

Contents Vol. 1, 2015

Editorial Board Roberto Arenas – Hospital General Dr Manuel Gea Gonzalez, Mexico City, Mexico Daniel Asz Sigall – Private Practice – Dermatology, Mexico City, Mexico Robert Baran – University of Franche-Comté, Cannes, France Wilma Bergfeld – Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, USA Vincenzo Bettoli – University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy Ulrike Blume-Peytavi – Charité – University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany Anna Campanati – Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy Ralph Daniel – Private Practice – Dermatology, Jackson, USA David de Berker – Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol, UK James Q. Del Rosso – Las Vegas Skin and Cancer Clinics, Henderson, USA Nilton Di Chiacchio – Private Practice – Dermatology, São Paulo, Brazil Zoe Diana Draelos – Dermatology Consulting Services, High Point, USA Boni Elewski – University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA Gabriella Fabbrocini – University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy Harold Farber – Center for Dermatology, Laser, and Cosmetic Surgery, Philadelphia, USA Steven Feldman – Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, USA Stamatis Gregoriou – National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece Ramon Grimalt – International University of Catalonia, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Spain Aditya K. Gupta – Mediprobe Research Inc, London, Canada Daniela Guzman-Sanchez – d & laser clinic, Guadalajara, Mexico Eckart Haneke – Private Practice – Dermatology, Freiburg, Germany Maria K. Hordinsky – University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA Dimitrios Ioannides – Aristotle UniversityMedical School, Thessaloniki, Greece Matilde Iorizzo – Private Practice – Dermatology, Bellinzona, Switzerland Ana Kaminsky – University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina Alexandros Katoulis – National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece Dong-Youn Lee – Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea Bryan C. Markinson – Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA Amy McMichael – Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, USA Andrew G. Messenger – Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK Giuseppe Micali – University of Catania, Catania, Italy Mariya Miteva – University of Miami, Miami, USA Bianca Maria Piraccini – University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy