Researchers of a study introduced and validated a new scoring method, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI)-NS, to improve the accuracy of the DLQI for patients with psoriasis. This new method includes a moderate impact option in each item’s self-assessment, helping clinicians better understand the disease’s impact on patients’ quality of life (QoL). The DLQI-NS proved superior to the DLQI, with 17 additional patients classified as having severe disease. The study involved 425 patients, who completed the DLQI, DLQI-NS, and skindex-16, and had their psoriasis severity assessed using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Body Surface Area (BSA) scores, along with pruritus assessed via the Numeric Rating Scale.
The study found that the mean DLQI-NS score was slightly higher than the DLQI score, indicating the DLQI-NS’s ability to capture more nuanced QoL impacts. The DLQI-NS allowed 17 more patients to be classified as having severe disease, highlighting its sensitivity. The new method showed significant moderate correlations with BSA and PASI scores, slightly better than the original DLQI. Both DLQI-NS and DLQI were strongly correlated with skindex-16 scores, proving their criterion validity.
Reference: Hebebrand M. Validation of Improved QoL Assessment for Moderate Psoriasis. Dermatology Times. Published June 27, 2024. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://www.dermatologytimes.com/view/validation-of-improved-qol-assessment-for-moderate-psoriasis
Link: https://www.dermatologytimes.com/view/validation-of-improved-qol-assessment-for-moderate-psoriasis
