IMPACT ON VITILIGO PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE, ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, AND USE OF HEALTHCARE.

Abstract

The autoimmune skin depigmenting condition vitiligo can have a detrimental effect on one's quality of life. There is great potential for a new FDA-approved treatment for vitiligo, and strategies for its implementation should take into account the disease burden, healthcare access, and healthcare utilization of those who have vitiligo in order to optimize benefits. We examined these outcomes in participants with and without vitiligo using the extensive data set from the All of Us Research Program, which included survey responses. As dichotomized proxies for disease burden, healthcare access, and healthcare utilization, we employed quality of life, postponed care because of a barrier, and visiting a doctor within the previous 12 months. According to the findings, individuals with vitiligo are more likely than those without the condition to report a lower quality of life, but they also appear to have greater access to and use of healthcare services. When demographics, socioeconomic traits, and vitiligo comorbidities are taken into account, these associations become insignificant. According to earlier studies, non-Caucasian people have worse overall health outcomes and a lower quality of life among those who have vitiligo. In addition to finding that non-Caucasian people with vitiligo had less access to healthcare and used it less frequently than Caucasian people, our data showed consistent findings. To increase health equity, underprivileged people should be given priority when new vitiligo treatments are implemented.