Peripheral Eosinophilia as an Ominous Marker of Poor Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study Evaluating the Correlation Between Absolute Eosinophilia and Dermatology Life Quality Index in Various Pruritic Dermatoses

Abstract

Background: Eosinophils are multifunctional cells of innate immunity and play a pivotal role in allergic, antiparasitic, phagocytotic, and tissue repair functions. These cells are sentinel mediators of pruritus. The increase in the absolute eosinophil count (AEC) in pruritic dermatoses is considered an objective marker of disease severity. The dermatology life quality index (DLQI) is a questionnaire assessing subjective impairment in quality of life. Objectives: To assess the correlation between AEC and DLQI in pruritic dermatoses. Methods: This cross-sectional observational-correlational study was carried out over a period of 6 months in a tertiary care center on 100 patients diagnosed with various clinical forms of pruritic dermatoses after obtaining informed consent. The DLQI score was calculated using a pre-validated questionnaire followed by the determination of AEC in whole blood samples. Results: Most patients had inflammatory diseases (26%), followed by infections (16%) and urticaria (14%). Mild eosinophilia was observed in 28% of cases, moderate eosinophilia in 22%, and severe eosinophilia in 6% of the cases. In terms of the DLQI score, the impact of the disease on quality of life was profound in 37% of the patients and enormous among 12% of them. Quality of life was unaffected in 5% of the cases. Overall, there was a significant strong positive correlation between AEC and DLQI (r = 0.649, P < 0.0001). Conclusions: A significant correlation was noticed between AEC and subjective DLQI as a marker of disease burden in various forms of pruritic dermatoses. Thus, AEC can be regarded as a perceived marker of disease prognostication, an objective equivalent to quality of life, and, most importantly, a potential target for therapeutic interventions.