Sustained improvement of the quality of life of patients with psoriasis after hospitalization

Psoriasis is a chronic, recurrent, and often disfiguring skin disease that may significantly affect patients' quality of life. Treatment of psoriasis, including hospitalization, has been shown to improve duality of life. A pi lot study of 15 consecutive inpatients and 7 consecutive outpatients with p soriasis were asked to complete the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) b efore treatment and 3 months later Hospitalized patients also completed the DLQI 1 week after discharge. Statistical analysis using I tests compared p retreatment and posttreatment DLQI scores as well as improvement oft inpati ents versus outpatients. Baseline DLQI scores for hospitalized patients wer e significantly higher (greater impairment of life duality) compared with o upatients' quality of life. After discharge, hospitalized patients' quality of life had significantly improved at 1 week and remained improved at 3 mo nths.