The objective of this study was to assess the impact of chronic dermatological diseases on quality of life (QoL) of Norwegian patients following in-patient management. QoL was measured by the Norwegian version of the Dermatology Life Quality Index, a validated, self-administered questionnaire. Adult in-patients with psoriasis and eczema were selected for one year from the dermatological departments in Norway. A total of 212 patients were included, and 126 patients (50% men, 85 with psoriasis and 41 with eczema, mean age 46 years) completed the questionnaires at time of hospital admission and one week after discharge. The patients reported adverse impact on QoL, but no differences between the psoriasis and eczema groups could be demonstrated. Patients with psoriasis improved from 18.3 (7.6) (mean (SD)) to 12.1 (8.2) (p