LAUSR.org creates dashboard-style pages of related content for over 1.5 million academic articles. Sign Up to like articles & get recommendations!

Psychosocial Effects of Vitiligo: A Systematic Literature Review

Photo from archive.org

Patients with vitiligo experience reduced quality of life. To comprehensively describe the available evidence for psychosocial burden in vitiligo. A systematic review of observational studies and clinical trials identified using… Click to show full abstract

Patients with vitiligo experience reduced quality of life. To comprehensively describe the available evidence for psychosocial burden in vitiligo. A systematic review of observational studies and clinical trials identified using PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and the Cochrane databases was performed through 1 March, 2021, to assess psychosocial comorbidities in vitiligo. Two independent reviewers performed an assessment of articles and extracted data for qualitative synthesis. Included studies (N = 168) were published between 1979 and 1 March, 2021; 72.6% were published since 2010. Disorders including or related to depression (41 studies, 0.1–62.3%) and anxiety (20 studies, 1.9–67.9%) were the most commonly reported. The most prevalent psychosocial comorbidities were feelings of stigmatization (eight studies, 17.3–100%), adjustment disorders (12 studies, 4–93.9%), sleep disturbance (seven studies, 4.6–89.0%), relationship difficulties including sexual dysfunction (ten studies, 2.0–81.8%), and avoidance or restriction behavior (12.5–76%). The prevalence of most psychosocial comorbidities was significantly higher vs healthy individuals. Factors associated with a significantly higher burden included female sex, visible or genital lesions, age < 30 years (particularly adolescents), and greater body surface area involvement, among others. The most commonly reported patient coping strategy was lesion concealment. Available studies were heterogeneous and often had limited details; additionally, publication bias is possible. The results of this systematic review show that vitiligo greatly affects psychosocial well-being. The extent of psychosocial comorbidities supports the use of multidisciplinary treatment strategies and education to address the vitiligo-associated burden of disease. PROSPERO (CRD42020162223).

Keywords: vitiligo systematic; psychosocial effects; effects vitiligo; review; psychosocial comorbidities; systematic literature

Journal Title: American Journal of Clinical Dermatology
Year Published: 2021

Link to full text (if available)


Share on Social Media:                               Sign Up to like & get
recommendations!

Related content

More Information              News              Social Media              Video              Recommended



                Click one of the above tabs to view related content.