Quality of Life of Subjects with Leprosy and Albinism

Background: Disfiguring skin disorders like leprosy and albinism may negatively distort a patient’s body image with resultant impairment in quality of life.

Objective: This study determined and compared the quality of life (QoL) of subjects with leprosy and those with albinism.

Methods: Two hundred subjects were recruited from a Leprosarium and The Albino Foundation in South East Nigeria. The participants were interviewed with Socio-demographic Interview Schedule and WHOQoL-Bref.

Results: Subjects with leprosy had lower QoL scores compared with subjects who have albinism in all domains. Male and female subjects with leprosy scored lower in all domains than male (p = 0.02) and female (p = 0.04) subjects with albinism. Married subjects with leprosy scored lower than married subjects with albinism in environment domain only (p= 0.04). Unmarried subjects with leprosy had lower QoL scores in the social relationship and environment domains (p = 0.01). Employed and unemployed subjects with leprosy scored lower than employed (p = 0.01) and unemployed (p = 0.03) subjects with albinism in all domains. Educated and uneducated subjects with leprosy scored lower than educated (p = 0.02) and uneducated (p = 0.03) subjects with albinism in all domains.

Conclusion: Impairment in QoL was greater in subjects with leprosy compared to those with albinism.