CE Ijioma¹, PI Ejikem², IO Abali³, JE Areh⁴, CI Ogwu⁵, JE Odarah⁶, OO Odufuwa⁷, TC Olusakin⁸, EA Kalesanwo⁹, AC Amuta¹⁰, NO Amoji¹¹, OE Aminu-Ayinde¹², PA Ndubuisi¹³, ES Amadi¹⁴ and AI Airaodion¹⁵*

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Abia State Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, Umuahia, Nigeria
²Department of Community Medicine, Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba, Nigeria
³Department of Surgery, Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria
⁴Department of Emergency Medicine, Warrington and Halton Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust, UK
⁵SFC, USAR Patient Administration Specialist, All Saints University, Saints Vincent and the Grenadines, Caribbean Island
⁶Department of Surgery, Asaba Specialist Hospital, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria
⁷Department of Internal Medicine, Highland Specialist Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
⁸Department of Internal Medicine, Vine Branch Medical Centre, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
⁹Department of Surgery, Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria
¹⁰Population Health/Health IT Analyst, Prince George’s County Health Department, McCormick Drive, USA
¹¹Department of Family Medicine, J and R Hospital, Badore, Lagos, Nigeria
¹²Department of Accident and Emergency, Mountain Top University Hospital, Prayer City, Ogun State, Nigeria
¹³Medical Student, Clinical Class 3, Abia State Teaching Hospital, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria
¹⁴Department of Internal Medicine, St. Jude Specialist Hospital, Port Harcourt, River State, Nigeria
¹⁵Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

*Corresponding Author: CE Ijioma, Department of Internal Medicine, Abia State Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, Umuahia, Nigeria.

Received: August 17, 2023; Published: September 12, 2023

Abstract

This study investigated the quality of life and prevalence of photodermatoses in individuals with albinism in Ogun State, Nigeria. The study adopted a cross-sectional design with data collected from 73 respondents with albinism. The majority of respondents were below 40 years old (72.6%), single (69.86%), had primary education (49.32%), and identified as Muslim (46.58%). Almost all respondents had oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) (95.89%). The overall quality of life was reported as poor (43.84%) or very poor (26.03%) by most respondents. Satisfaction with physical health and financial situation was notably low, whereas contentment with mental health was higher. However, respondents reported that albinism significantly affected their ability to work or study, personal relationships, and emotional well-being. Almost all respondents (97.26%) had experienced photodermatoses, with multiple types of sun-induced skin disorders reported. The most common photodermatoses included photoallergic eruption (22.77%), polymorphous light eruption (20.46%), and actinic keratosis (19.47%). Over 45% of respondents experienced skin problems related to sunlight exposure more than five times in the past year. The severity of skin problems was rated as severe (31.51%) or moderate (26.03%) by most respondents. Sun-protective clothing (38.64%) and limiting time outdoors (35.80%) were the most common protective measures employed. All respondents had received support, primarily from non-governmental organizations (41.95%), followed by government aid (24.14%). Nevertheless, satisfaction with the received support was low. Access to healthcare was reported as poor (27.40%) or very poor (23.29%) by a significant proportion of respondents. A substantial majority of respondents (95.89%) had experienced discrimination or stigma due to their condition. Age, marital status, and education level significantly affected the quality of life of people with albinism, while the type of albinism and religion did not. People who had experienced photodermatoses reported a significantly worse quality of life. The study concludes that individuals with albinism in Ogun State, Nigeria, face significant challenges related to their physical health, quality of life, and societal acceptance. Further supportive interventions and educational programs are needed to address these issues.

 Keywords: Albinism; Photodermatoses; Quality of Life

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Citation

Citation: CE Ijioma., et al. “Quality of Life and Photodermatoses in People with Albinism in Ogun State, Nigeria”.Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 7.10 (2023): 02-17.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 CE Ijioma., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.