Hirsutism and Quality of Life
with Aspects on Social Support,
Anxiety and Depression
MARIA PALMETUN EKBÄCK
Medical Science with a Specialisation in Medicine
Örebro Studies in Medicine 98 I
ÖREBRO 20132013
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maria palmetun ekbäck went to Medical School at Umeå University. Parallel with her medical studies she was assistant lecturer in Pharmacology 1985-1988. She obtained her Medical Degree in 1988. Since her internship in Örebro she has been employed at the Department of Dermatology at Örebro University Hospital. She obtained a Specialist Degree in Dermatology and Venerology in 1995. She is sub-specialized in Laser surgery and responsible for the Laser unit at the Dermatology Department. Since 2003 she is also the Head of the Drug and Therapeutic Committee at Örebro County Council. She was registered as a doctoral student at the University of Örebro in 2008 and during the past years, she has combined her doctoral studies with clinical work at the Department of Dermatology and with the work in the Drug and Therapeutic Committee.
Hirsutism is excessive hair growth in women, mostly because of Poly Cystic Ovary syndrome, but some other, not so common endocrine disorders could also cause the state. The prevalence is estimated to 5 % in women. The scientific knowledge about the effect on quality of life by hirsutism is very sparse. This thesis describes different aspects on health related quality of life (HRQoL) in women with hirsutism and how life is perceived by the women. It also describes the patient-physician relationship from the women’s perspective when seeking healthcare. Further it deals with aspects on anxiety and depression in relation to HRQoL and how social support could affect the outcome of HRQoL. In this thesis a measurement for perceived social support (The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, MSPSS) has been translated, culturally adapted and psychometrically evaluated in a Swedish setting.
issn 1652-4063 isbn 978-91-7668-979-0
