PIGMENTARY DISORDERS AROUND THE WORLD: SELF-REPORTED PREVALENCE AND IMPACT ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND SOCIAL STIGMATIZATION.
Academic Article
Overview
abstract
Pigmentary disorders are prevalent around the world, but there are few large epidemiologic studies. We assessed the worldwide prevalence and impact of pigmentary disorders via an online survey of 48,000 adults in 34 countries. We also evaluated social stigmatization, respondents' quality of life, and sun behavior/knowledge. 50% of respondents had at ≥1 pigmentary disorder: solar lentigo (13,192 [27.5%]), axillary hyperpigmentation (8,289 [17.2%)], post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (7,126 [14.8%]), periorbital hyperpigmentation (7,076 [14.7%]), vitiligo (3,394 [7.1%]) and melasma (5,237 [10.9%]). Among them, 9,844 (42.9%) had physician diagnosis (including 8,107 [35.3%] by a dermatologist), 4,754 (20%) were self-diagnosed before the survey and an additional 4,735 (20.6%%) reported self-diagnosis of disease from survey definitions and digital images; 917 (4%) responded "other" [526 (2.3%)] or "prefer not to answer" [391(1.7 %)]. The disorders were frequently long-lasting (mean duration ≥5 years in 15,442 [69.5%] of 22,220 respondents). There was a high self-reported impact on quality of life, and a high perception of social stigmatization. Knowledge of sun protection and photoprotective behaviors were suboptimal, but were superior in individuals who had a hyperpigmentary disorder diagnosed by a healthcare professional. This large-scale, worldwide survey provides important data about pigmentary disorders and their strong impact on affected individuals.
