Quality of life and disease severity in dermatitis patients with fragrance allergy-A cross-sectional European questionnaire study

BACKGROUND: Fragrance contact allergy is common, but few studies on quality of life (QoL) in affected patients exist. Recently, the disease-specific Fragrance Quality of Life Index (FQLI) was developed.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize QoL in European dermatitis patients with fragrance contact allergy at the time of diagnosis.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study, in which 2011 Danish, British, Spanish and German adult consecutive dermatitis patients were invited to complete a questionnaire on self-reported disease severity, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and the FQLI immediately prior to being patch tested.

RESULTS: One thousand seven hundred and fifty-eight patients responded, and 259 (14.7%; country range 11.7%-18.5%) were fragrance-positive. Among these, the total (SD) DLQI score was 6.2 (5.6) and the total (SD) FQLI score was 60 (25), with both estimates being comparable to those in fragrance-negative patients. Adjusting the total FQLI score for age, sex and self-rated disease severity showed a higher (ie, worse) score in fragrance-positive patients (3.6-point increase; 95% confidence interval: 0.30-6.8 points; P = 0.03). Specifically, contact allergy to oxidized linalool was associated with greater impairment in QoL.

CONCLUSIONS: QoL in patients with fragrance contact allergy is impaired at a level comparable to that in other patch tested dermatitis patients, at the time of diagnosis, across several European countries.