Frequency of anxiety and depression in patients with melasma
Keywords:
Melasma, anxiety, depressionAbstract
Background Melasma is a common acquired hypermelanosis characterized by irregular brown patches occurring primarily on the forehead, cheeks and chin in a mask-like distribution. Melasma most commonly affects women of reproductive age. This chronic and recurrent condition causes a deleterious impact on various domains of patients’ quality of life. Objective To determine the frequency of anxiety and depression in patients with melasma. Methods A total of 195 cases of both gender with melasma and ages between 20-40 years were enrolled through non-probability consecutive sampling. Detailed history and examination were done. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was administered to all the patients. Scoring of anxiety and depression was done individually for each patient. Results Out of 195 cases, 37% (n=73) were between 20-30 years of age and 63%(n=122) were of 31-40 years. Thirty-six patients (18.46%) were male and 159 (81%) were females. Frequency of anxiety in patients with melasma was recorded as 19.49% (n=38) and 10.77% (n=21) had depression. Conclusion The frequency of anxiety and depression is high among patients with melasma. It is, therefore, recommended that patients who present with melasma may be evaluated for anxiety and depression severity and clinicians should have proper surveillance system to document the frequency of this problem.ÂReferences
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