Impact of acne on quality of life of students at Sultan Qaboos University

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of acne on the quality of life of students at Sultan Qaboos University [SQU]. Its secondary objective was to assess the influence of gender and severity of symptoms on the quality of life. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 students [40 males and 60 females] diagnosed with acne who attended the Student Clinic during a period of three months from September to December 2009. The Acne Quality Of Life index [Acne-QoL] questionnaire was used to assess the patient's quality of life in four different domains: self-perception, social, emotional, and acne symptoms. Acne affected all areas of the patients quality of life with the emotional domain found to be the most affected. Overall, female patients reported more adverse QoL effects. The mean score for self-perception for female students was 2.5 and 2.8 for males [p=0.300]. The role-social domain approached a significant difference between genders [p=0.078]. There was a statistically significant correlation between severity of acne symptoms and the other three domains. The correlation was highest between acne symptoms score and self-perception score. This study showed that acne affects the quality of life of affected SQU students treated by primary care physicians at the Student Clinic. Therefore, physicians should take into account the effect of acne on the persons' quality of life when individualizing treatment

Dermatitis artefacta

Dermatitis artefacta [DA] is an intentional self-inflicted dermatitis produced by patients for unconscious psychological gain. Characteristically, patients deny the responsibility for their creation. It is a poorly understood condition and, in most cases, goes on for a long period of time before a diagnosis is made. This condition creates a lot of anxiety for physicians due to a lack of awareness of the disorder and involves a considerable amount of time and resources to deal with. Suspicion usually arises when there is an unconvincing history of the evolution and recurrence of these lesions, their locations on the body, and their bizarre shapes. Here we report a typical case of DA in a 33-year-old male who repeatedly presented with oddly shaped recurrent skin lesions in the left lower leg for nine years. He had numerous doctors' visits and tests, and was admitted to a number of different hospitals without reaching a diagnosis or a cure

Psychosocial impact of breast cancer diagnosis among Omani women

The aim of this study was to explore different psychosocial impacts on Omani women diagnosed with breast cancer. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 19 Omani women diagnosed with breast cancer to describe the impact of the disease on their personal and social life. Women were recruited from wards and out-patient clinics at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat. Four main themes emerged. These were: a] factors related to psychological distress of the disease and uncertainty [worry of death, interference with work and family responsibilities, searching for hope/cure, travelling overseas]; b] reactions of family members [shocked, saddened, unity, pressure to seek traditional treatments]; c] views of society [sympathy, isolation, reluctant to disclose information]; and d] worries and threats about the future [side effects of chemotherapy, spread of the disease, effect on offspring]. Breast cancer diagnosis has several devastating psychosocial impacts on women in Oman. Healthcare professionals working with women with breast cancer should be aware of the different psychosocial impacts of the disease on women's lives. Appropriate measures must be taken by the decision makers whenever needed, including enforcing positive views and support of Oman's society towards women with breast cancer