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Is a Simple Generic Index of Dermatologic Disease Severity an Attainable Goal?

Hywel C. Williams, MSc, FRCP, PhD
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Queen's Medical Centre University Hospital Nottingham, England NG7 2UH


Arch Dermatol. 1997;133(11):1451-1452. doi:10.1001/archderm.1997.03890470129020
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SIMPLE TOOLS for measuring disease severity for a range of dermatologic disorders are still limited. Currently, if we wish to record a change in disease severity for a person with an inflammatory dermatosis, we are constrained into using either complex, objective scales developed for clinical trials (eg, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index1) or the other extreme, such as global rating by a dermatologist into mild, moderate, or severe categories. Clinical trial scales often take considerable time and training to use properly, and the clinical significance of a change in score from 34 to 26 may not always be apparent to consumers. Global rating by a dermatologist may appear to have better validity, but it is highly subjective and dependent on the viewpoint and background of the observer. There seems to be nothing in between for staging dermatologic disease severity. We need an instrument that is quick, easy to perform,

REFERENCES

Fredriksson T, Petersson U.  Severe psoriasis: oral therapy with a new retinoid . Dermatologica. 1978;;157:238-244.
Faust HB, Gonin R, Chuang T-Y, Lewis CW, Melfi C, Farmer ER.  Reliability testing of the Dermatology Index of Disease Severity (DIDS): an index for staging the severity of cutaneous inflammatory disease . Arch Dermatol. 1997;;133:1443-1448.
Finlay AY, Kelly SE.  Psoriasis: an index of disability . Clin Exp Dermatol. 1987;; 12:8-11.
Ryan TJ.  Healthy skin for all . Int J Dermatol. 1994;;33:829-835.
Williams HC, Burney PGJ, Pembroke AC, Hay RJ.  Validation of the UK diagnostic criteria for atopic dermatitis in a population setting . Br J Dermatol. 1996;;135: 12-17.
Finlay AY, Khan GK.  Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI): a simple practical measure for routine clinical use . Clin Exp Dermatol. 1994;;19:210-216.
Morgan M, McCreedy R, Simpson J, Hay RJ.  Dermatology quality of life scales: a measure of the impact of skin diseases . Br J Dermatol. 1997;;136:202-206.
Ruta DA, Garratt AM, Leng M, Russekk IT, MacDonald LM.  A new approach to the measurement of quality of life: the Patient-Generated Index . Med Care. 1994;; 32:1109-1126.
Chren MM, Lasek RJ, Quinn LM, Mostow EN, Zyzanski SJ.  Skindex: a quality-of-life measure for patients with skin disease: reliability, validity, and responsiveness . J Invest Dermatol. 1996;;107:707-713.

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Fredriksson T, Petersson U.  Severe psoriasis: oral therapy with a new retinoid . Dermatologica. 1978;;157:238-244.
Faust HB, Gonin R, Chuang T-Y, Lewis CW, Melfi C, Farmer ER.  Reliability testing of the Dermatology Index of Disease Severity (DIDS): an index for staging the severity of cutaneous inflammatory disease . Arch Dermatol. 1997;;133:1443-1448.
Finlay AY, Kelly SE.  Psoriasis: an index of disability . Clin Exp Dermatol. 1987;; 12:8-11.
Ryan TJ.  Healthy skin for all . Int J Dermatol. 1994;;33:829-835.
Williams HC, Burney PGJ, Pembroke AC, Hay RJ.  Validation of the UK diagnostic criteria for atopic dermatitis in a population setting . Br J Dermatol. 1996;;135: 12-17.
Finlay AY, Khan GK.  Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI): a simple practical measure for routine clinical use . Clin Exp Dermatol. 1994;;19:210-216.
Morgan M, McCreedy R, Simpson J, Hay RJ.  Dermatology quality of life scales: a measure of the impact of skin diseases . Br J Dermatol. 1997;;136:202-206.
Ruta DA, Garratt AM, Leng M, Russekk IT, MacDonald LM.  A new approach to the measurement of quality of life: the Patient-Generated Index . Med Care. 1994;; 32:1109-1126.
Chren MM, Lasek RJ, Quinn LM, Mostow EN, Zyzanski SJ.  Skindex: a quality-of-life measure for patients with skin disease: reliability, validity, and responsiveness . J Invest Dermatol. 1996;;107:707-713.

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