Willingness to pay and quality of life in patients with rosacea.

BACKGROUND: Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis affecting >2% of the population. Willingness to pay (WTP) is a well established method which reflects the individual burden of disease.

OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of WTP and quality of life (QoL) in patients with rosacea.

METHODS: Nationwide postal survey on adult patients with rosacea affiliated with the German rosacea patient advocacy group. WTP was evaluated by three standardized items and compared to historical data on vitiligo (n = 1023). QoL was assessed using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI).

RESULTS: Data from n = 475 rosacea patients (79.9% women, mean age 56.3, range 26-90) were analysed. On average, patients were willing to pay € 2880 (median € 500) for complete healing compared with € 7360 (median € 3000) in vitiligo. Relative WTP was higher in women; the highest sums were registered for the age group 21-30 years. The extent of facial involvement predicted a higher relative WTP, whereas WTP decreased with the duration of symptoms and age. Mean DLQI total score was 4.3 compared to 7.0 in vitiligo. In rosacea, the highest values were observed in patients <30 years. Severe QoL reductions (DLQI>10) were less frequent (11%) than in vitiligo (24.6%). The correlation between WTP and DLQI was significant (e.g. r = 0.249, P = 0.000 for relative WTP).

CONCLUSION: Rosacea patients show a moderate WTP and average QoL reduction is mild. WTP proved to be a valid tool to assess patients' burden of disease. Patient education and the development of effective treatment options might still improve patients' satisfaction.