BACKGROUND:Anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation are frequent in patients with chronic prurigo (CPG). OBJECTIVE:To analyze perceived stress, stigmatization, body dysmorphia, anxiety, depression and itch-related quality of life in CPG patients and compare them to controls, and then to identify variables/predictors of them. METHODS:This study is part of a cross-sectional multicenter study in 17 European countries including 5487 consecutive patients and 2808 controls. RESULTS:One hundred twenty-seven individuals with prurigo were included in the analyses. They reported higher levels of stress, stigmatization, and body dysmorphia than controls. In the patient group, stigmatization was associated with higher stress and having a severe disease, stress with younger age and lower income, depression and anxiety with lower income and higher itch intensity, body dysmorphia with younger age, and dissatisfaction with appearance. LIMITATIONS:CPG patients were older than controls and had significantly more comorbidities. However, multivariate analysis allowed controlling for these differences by including them as a covariate. CONCLUSION:CPG patients have high levels of perceived stress, perceived stigmatization and body dysmorphic, which are partly related to sociodemographic factors like younger age or lower income as well as to other psychological and disease-related factors.

The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Task Forces on quality of life (QoL) and patient-oriented outcomes and on urticaria and angioedema recommendations for the assessment of Health-related (HR) QoL in all patients with urticaria in research and practice are as follows: to use the DLQI for adults and the CDLQI for children as dermatology-specific and the CU-Q2oL as a disease-specific HRQoL instruments in urticaria; to use generic instruments to provide comparison of data on urticaria with non-dermatologic diseases, or to compare with healthy volunteers or the general population; to select validated HRQoL instruments with appropriate age limits; to present exact numeric data for HRQoL results; correct title of any HRQoL instrument should be used, along with its correct abbreviation and the reference to its original publication, where possible. The EADV TFs discourage the use of non-validated HRQoL instruments and modified HRQoL instruments that have not undergone standard validation.

BackgroundItch as the most common symptom in dermatology has been shown to be related to psychological factors such as stress, anxiety and depression. Moreover, associations were found between perceived stigmatization and itch. However, studies investigating the differences between patients with dermatoses with and without itch regarding perceived stress, stigmatization, anxiety and depression are missing. Therefore, one of the aims of the second study of the European Society for Dermatology and Psychiatry (ESDaP study II) was to investigate these relationships in a large cohort of patients with different itchy dermatoses.Results3399 patients with 14 different itchy dermatoses were recruited at 22 centres in 17 European countries. They filled in questionnaires to assess perceived stigmatization, stress, signs of clinically relevant anxiety or depression, itch-related quality of life, the overall health status, itch duration, frequency and intensity. The most significant association between the severity of itching and the perception of stress was observed among individuals with rosacea (correlation coefficient r = 0.314). Similarly, the strongest links between itch intensity and experiences of stigmatization, anxiety, and depression were found in patients with seborrheic dermatitis (correlation coefficients r = 0.317, r = 0.356, and r = 0.400, respectively). Utilizing a stepwise linear regression analysis, it was determined that within the entire patient cohort, 9.3% of the variation in itch intensity could be accounted for by factors including gender, levels of anxiety, depression, and perceived stigmatization. Females and individuals with elevated anxiety, depression, and perceived stigmatization scores reported more pronounced itch intensities compared to those with contrary attributes.ConclusionThis study underscores the connection between experiencing itch and its intensity and the psychological strain it places on individuals. Consequently, psychological interventions should encompass both addressing the itch itself and the interconnected psychological factors. In specific cases, it becomes imperative for dermatologists to direct individuals towards suitable healthcare resources to undergo further psychological assessment.

BackgroundDysmorphic concern is an overconcern with an imagined or slight defect in physical appearance that can be a symptom of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Appearance-related concerns are frequently reported by people with dermatological conditions. However, relatively little remains known about the relationship between dysmorphic concern and other variables within persons with different skin conditions.ObjectivesThe aim of this multicentre, cross-sectional study was to investigate gender differences regarding dysmorphic concern and the prevalence of BDD in a large sample of patients with skin conditions, in relation to sociodemographic, clinical and psychological variables.MethodsParticipants aged >= 18 years with skin conditions were consecutively enrolled in dermatological clinics of 22 European centres. Dysmorphic concern and the possible presence of BDD were measured using the Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire (DCQ) and compared between men and women in relation to sociodemographic, clinical and psychological variables, and separately for each skin condition.ResultsThe DCQ questionnaire was completed by 5290 dermatological patients. In all categories, mean scores were significantly higher in women than in men. Mean DCQ scores were also higher in women for most skin conditions, with the highest effect size in vitiligo. The percentage of patients who screened positive for BDD on the DCQ was 10.5%, 7.7% of men and 12.7% of women. The prevalence of BDD positive was 6.9% in patients with mild clinical severity, 11.1% for moderate and 19.1% for severe condition. In the multivariate model in patients with mild skin condition, the presence of BDD was positively associated with stress and stigma both in men and in women.ConclusionsDysmorphic concern and BDD were more frequent in women than in men with skin conditions. Both received and actual stigmatization might have an impact on body-related concerns, in particular in women, who may be more at risk for sociocultural reasons. image

BackgroundThere are few studies on bullying in skin diseases. Persons with skin diseases are especially prone to bullying.ObjectivesThis component of the project 'Bullying among Dermatologic Patients' aimed to study the prevalence and nature of bullying in patients with skin diseases from different countries and age groups.MethodsData were collected from participants of international social media groups for patients with skin diseases, in-patients and out-patients with skin diseases, and parents of children with skin diseases from six European countries. School and university students from Poland and Ukraine were asked to answer the question: Have you been bullied because of skin problems?ResultsBullying was reported in 1016 patients with 36 different skin diseases. Prevalence of self-reported and parental-reported bullying was quite heterogeneous among different countries In total, self-reported bullying was noted by 25.6% of patients with skin diseases during face-to-face consultations, by 63.7% of respondents from international patients' groups and by 12.2% of school and university students. Parental-reported bullying was detected in 34.5% of 3-4 years old children with skin diseases. The peak of bullying prevalence occurred between the ages of 13 and 15. The most prevalent forms of bullying were verbal abuse and social isolation. Physical abuse was the least often reported form of bullying. Only 33.2% of participants talked to anyone about being bullied. Negative long-term effects of bullying were reported by 63% of respondents.ConclusionsSkin disease-related bullying was reported by patients in all centres of the project. The main manifestations of bullying were similar in different countries and among patients with different skin diseases. International activities aimed to decrease or prevent skin disease-related bullying in different age groups are needed. These activities should be multidirectional and target teachers, parents of classmates and classmates of children with skin diseases, patients' parents and patients themselves.

Many events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, have accelerated the implementation of teledermatology pathways within dermatology departments and across healthcare organizations. Quality of Life (QoL) assessment in dermatology is also a rapidly developing field with a gradual shift from theory to practice. The purpose of this paper organized jointly by the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Task Force (TF) on QoL and patient-oriented outcomes and the EADV TF on teledermatology is to present current knowledge about QoL assessment during the use of teledermatology approaches, including data on health-related (HR) QoL instruments used in teledermatology, comparison of influence of different treatment methods on HRQoL after face-to-face and teledermatology consultations and to make practical recommendations concerning the assessment of QoL in teledermatology. The EADV TFs made the following position statements: HRQoL assessment may be an important part in most of teledermatology activities; HRQoL assessment may be easily and effectively performed during teledermatology consultations. It is especially important to monitor HRQoL of patients with chronic skin diseases during lockdowns or in areas where it is difficult to reach a hospital for face-to-face consultation; regular assessment of HRQoL of patients with skin diseases during teledermatology consultations may help to monitor therapy efficacy and visualize individual patient's needs; we recommend the use of the DLQI in teledermatology, including the use of the DLQI app which is available in seven languages; it is important to develop apps for dermatology-specific HRQoL instruments for use in children (for example the CDLQI and InToDermQoL) and for disease-specific instruments.

Le retentissement du prurigo sur la qualité de vie est majeur et les conséquences psycho-sociales importantes. L’objectif de cette étude était d’évaluer le stress, la stigmatisation et la dysmorphophobie chez les patients atteints de prurigo chronique. Une étude observationnelle multicentrique a été menée dans 17 pays européens. Tous les patients consultant dans des centres spécialisés, ainsi que des sujets témoins, ont complété différents questionnaires concernant notamment l’apparence corporelle, les idées suicidaires, le stress (Perceived Scale Stress-10), la dysmorphophobie (Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire) et la stigmatisation (Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire). Un total de 2808 témoins sans dermatose et 5487 patients avec une dermatose ont été inclus, dont 127 patients avec un prurigo. Les patients avec un prurigo avaient en moyenne 54,7 ans et étaient en majorité des femmes (59,1 %). Leurs caractéristiques sont présentées dans le tableau 1. Les patients étaient « assez insatisfaits » (13,5 %) ou « insatisfaits » (8,7%) de leur apparence corporelle, ce qui était supérieur aux déclarations des témoins (p = 0,006 et p < 0,0001, respectivement). 31,7% des patients ont déclaré avoir eu des idées suicidaires liées à leur dermatose. Les patients avec un prurigo étaient plus stressés que les témoins, avec un score moyen supérieur de 2,81 points sur 40 [1,64 ; 3,99] (p < 0,001). La dysmorphophobie était présente chez 9,6 % des patients avec un prurigo vs 2,1 % des contrôles (p < 0,001). Le score moyen de stigmatisation était plus élevé de 0,122 point sur 5 [0,046 ; 0,198] chez les patients avec un prurigo (p < 0,01). Les scores des patients avec prurigo ont ensuite été comparés à ceux observés dans d’autres dermatoses inflammatoires: dermatite atopique (n = 352), psoriasis (n = 1404), urticaire (n = 173) et hidradénite suppurée (n = 142). Concernant la stigmatisation, le score total moyen était inférieur chez les patients avec un prurigo par rapport aux patients atteints de psoriasis (−0,167 [−0,278; −0,057] (p < 0,01)) mais supérieur à celui des patients ayant de l’urticaire (0,133 [0,012 ; 0,277] (p = 0,037)). Aucune différence significative n’a été observée pour le stress et la dysmorphophobie. Il s’agit de la première étude s’intéressant au niveau de stress, à la stigmatisation et à l’association à une dysmorphophobie chez les patients atteints de prurigo chronique. Des études antérieures ont montré des taux plus élevés d’anxiété, dépression, idées suicidaires, que dans la population générale mais aussi que de nombreuses dermatoses. Cette étude montre que le stress, la stigmatisation et la dysmorphophobie sont plus fréquents chez les patients atteints de prurigo que chez des sujets sans dermatose, et que le taux est comparable aux autres dermatoses inflammatoires fréquentes. L’impact psychosocial du prurigo sur les patients pouvant avoir de lourdes conséquences sur le statut social, les interactions avec autrui, le bien être émotionnel ou encore sur l’estime de soi, l’évaluation du poids de ce fardeau a toute sa place lors de la prise en charge du patient.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a common psychiatric disorder associated with high costs for healthcare systems as patients may repeatedly ask for different, often not effective, interventions. BDD symptoms are more prevalent in patients with dermatological conditions than in the general population, but there are no large sample studies comparing the prevalence of BDD symptoms between patients with dermatological conditions and healthy skin controls.

Core outcome sets (COSs) are an agreed standardized collection of outcomes that should be measured and reported in all clinical trials for a specific clinical condition. Tsekhe aim of our position paper by the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Task Force on Quality of Life and Patient Oriented Outcomes was to identify the challenges and Patient Oriented Outcomes advantages in the development of COSs within dermatological QoL research. Twelve EADV Task Force multidisciplinary team members presented a total of 101 items (51 advantages and 50 disadvantages). All participants considered that COS are beneficial for comparison between different studies, treatments, dermatological diseases, geographical location and ethnicities. In conclusion, the EADV Task Force on Quality of Life and Patient Oriented Outcomes has recognized the primacy of advantages of COS and deliberated that the disadvantages in COS are related to development process and use of COS.

Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and VenereologyVolume 35, Issue 3 p. e208-e209 Letter to the Editor Selection process of measures for core outcome set should utilize the highest methodology level and should be maximally free of bias. Comment on ‘IDQoL, CDLQI and the 45-item CADIS received a sufficient content validity rating during the HOME VII meeting in Japan: a group discussion study’ P.V. Chernyshov, Corresponding Author chernyshovpavel@ukr.net orcid.org/0000-0001-7275-4651 Department of Dermatology and Venereology, National Medical University, Kiev, Ukraine Correspondence: P.V. Chernyshov. E-mail: chernyshovpavel@ukr.netSearch for more papers by this authorL. Tomas Aragones, orcid.org/0000-0001-5891-628X Department of Psychology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, SpainSearch for more papers by this authorC.M. Salavastru, Paediatric Dermatology Discipline, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy & Colentina Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, RomaniaSearch for more papers by this authorF. Sampogna, orcid.org/0000-0002-7624-3290 Clinical Epidemiology Unit, IDI-IRCCS, Rome, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorM.J. Boffa, Department of Dermatology, Sir Paul Boffa Hospital, Floriana, MaltaSearch for more papers by this authorF. Poot, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Erasme, Brussels, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorV. Bettoli, orcid.org/0000-0002-2760-4600 Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Dermatology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorN. Pustišek, Medical School, Children’s Hospital Zagreb, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, CroatiaSearch for more papers by this authorA.W.M. Evers, Health, Medical, and Neuropsychology unit, Leiden University, Leiden, The NetherlandsSearch for more papers by this authorA. Bewley, Whipps Cross University Hospital, London, UK Queen Mary University Medical School, London, UKSearch for more papers by this authorS.E. Marron, Department of Dermatology, Aragon Psychodermatology Research Group (GAI+PD), University, Hospital Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, SpainSearch for more papers by this authorD. Abeni, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, IDI-IRCCS, Rome, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorA. Svensson, orcid.org/0000-0002-2821-7418 Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Skane University Hospital, Malmö, SwedenSearch for more papers by this authorJ.S. Szepietowski, orcid.org/0000-0003-0766-6342 Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, PolandSearch for more papers by this author P.V. Chernyshov, Corresponding Author chernyshovpavel@ukr.net orcid.org/0000-0001-7275-4651 Department of Dermatology and Venereology, National Medical University, Kiev, Ukraine Correspondence: P.V. Chernyshov. E-mail: chernyshovpavel@ukr.netSearch for more papers by this authorL. Tomas Aragones, orcid.org/0000-0001-5891-628X Department of Psychology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, SpainSearch for more papers by this authorC.M. Salavastru, Paediatric Dermatology Discipline, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy & Colentina Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, RomaniaSearch for more papers by this authorF. Sampogna, orcid.org/0000-0002-7624-3290 Clinical Epidemiology Unit, IDI-IRCCS, Rome, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorM.J. Boffa, Department of Dermatology, Sir Paul Boffa Hospital, Floriana, MaltaSearch for more papers by this authorF. Poot, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Erasme, Brussels, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorV. Bettoli, orcid.org/0000-0002-2760-4600 Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Dermatology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorN. Pustišek, Medical School, Children’s Hospital Zagreb, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, CroatiaSearch for more papers by this authorA.W.M. Evers, Health, Medical, and Neuropsychology unit, Leiden University, Leiden, The NetherlandsSearch for more papers by this authorA. Bewley, Whipps Cross University Hospital, London, UK Queen Mary University Medical School, London, UKSearch for more papers by this authorS.E. Marron, Department of Dermatology, Aragon Psychodermatology Research Group (GAI+PD), University, Hospital Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, SpainSearch for more papers by this authorD. Abeni, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, IDI-IRCCS, Rome, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorA. Svensson, orcid.org/0000-0002-2821-7418 Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Skane University Hospital, Malmö, SwedenSearch for more papers by this authorJ.S. Szepietowski, orcid.org/0000-0003-0766-6342 Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, PolandSearch for more papers by this author First published: 04 September 2020 https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.16921Citations: 2Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume35, Issue3March 2021Pages e208-e209 RelatedInformation

The pharmaceutical approach to skin disease has been hugely successful, but despite effective drugs being available and used, there are still vast numbers of people who continue to have some level of persisting skin disease and continue to experience quality of life (QoL) impairment. So the question that needs to be answered, while we await further advances in our drug-based armamentarium, is how can we improve patients' QoL, beyond drugs? A working group was formed from members of the EADV Task Force on QoL and Patient Oriented Outcomes. Participants were asked to suggest all the ways in which they considered patients' QoL may be improved beyond medicines. Four groups of management approaches that may improve QoL in dermatology were identified: interventions within the dermatology service (hospitalization, multidisciplinary teams, patch testing and establishing relevant allergens and education), external services (corrective make-up, climatotherapy and balneotherapy), psychological (psychological intervention, cognitive therapy, hypnosis), lifestyle (lifestyle behavioural changes, religion and spirituality and music). The ultimate aim of therapy is to eradicate a disease in an individual and return the person's life to normal. But until the day comes when this has been achieved for every skin disease and for every patient there will be a need to support and assist many patients in additional non-pharmaceutical ways. These 'adjuvant' approaches receive too little attention while dermatologists and researchers strive for better pharmacological therapy. The different ways in which patients may benefit have been reviewed in our paper, but the reality is that most have a very poor evidence base. The research challenges that we have to meet are to identify those approaches that might be of value and to provide evidence for their optimal use. In the meantime, clinicians should consider the use of these approaches where QoL remains impaired despite optimal use of standard therapy.

The pandemic of COVID-19 is a global challenge for health care, and dermatologists are not standing apart from trying to meet this challenge. The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) has collected recommendations from its Task Forces (TFs) related to COVID-19. The Journal of the EADV has established a COVID-19 Special Forum giving free access to related articles. The psychosocial effects of the pandemic, an increase in contact dermatitis and several other skin diseases because of stress, disinfectants and protective equipment use, especially in healthcare workers, the temporary limited access to dermatologic care, the dilemma whether or not to pause immunosuppressive therapy, and, finally, the occurrence of skin lesions in patients infected by COVID-19 all contribute to significant quality of life (QoL) impairment. Here, we present detailed recommendations of the EADV TF on QoL and patient-oriented outcomes on how to improve QoL in dermatologic patients during the COVID-19 pandemic for several different groups of patients and for the general population.

The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) has started the 'Healthy Skin @ Work' campaign aimed to raise awareness among the public and EU authorities on the frequency and impact of occupational skin diseases (OSDs). The EADV Task Forces (TFs) on Quality of Life and Patient Oriented Outcomes (QoL/PO) and on OSD present their mutual position statement on QoL assessment in OSDs. The EADV TFs recommend the use of the DLQI as a dermatology-specific instrument and SF-36 as a generic instrument in health-related (HR) QoL studies on OSDs. The OSD-specific questionnaire, LIOD, is not recommended for general use in its present form because of its three months recall period. The EADV TFs discourage the use of non-validated and of non-validated modifications of previously validated HRQoL instruments. The EADV TFs wish to encourage research into: the HRQoL impact of OSDs other than occupational contact dermatitis and hand eczema; comparisons between the effects of different treatments and other interventions on HRQoL in OSDs; and into the HRQoL impairment of patients with OSDs from different countries, and with different provoking factors, to predict if the results of successful therapeutic and educational interventions may be generalized across countries and between occupations.

Somatization in dermatology patients is a challenge to diagnose and manage. Somatization presents as medically unexplained dermatologic symptoms, which are commonly encountered in dermatology and psychiatry practices. These cutaneous symptoms are often intriguing and do not fit into any particular known dermatologic condition. Sometimes, they may evoke negative feelings in the practicing dermatologist. The dermatologic somatic symptoms might be one way of communicating psychologic distress in a culturally acceptable method. These somatic symptoms may be masking another psychiatric disorder such as depression. They could also be an adaptive response to a difficult psychosocial situation and means of coping in a culturally meaningful way; therefore, the underlying conflicts need to be understood and managed in the sociocultural context of the symptoms. This chapter discusses the various unexplained physical symptoms in dermatology patients and the need for comprehensive evaluation.

Background and objective: Atopic dermatitis affects a patient's quality of life in many ways. Analysis of the effects of this disease on the lives of adult patients is therefore important for the purpose of better defining their care needs. Patients and methods: We interviewed 14 adult patients with atopic dermatitis in this qualitative study. The interviews were semistructured according to a simple outline to allow for completeness and flexibility and afford greater depth and richness of information. Results: Atopic dermatitis affected the patients' lives in 6 spheres of activity: economic, occupational, personal, psychosocial, clinical, and relational. A clear finding was that the disease has a considerable psychosocial effect on adult patients, altering their interpersonal relationships and leading to rejection, stigmatization, and social isolation. It limits the patient in various spheres of life and in activities of daily living, causing sleep alterations among other effects. The patients were very concerned about appearance, the itch-scratch cycle, poor understanding and lack of awareness of their disease, the absence of a definitive treatment, and the adverse effects of some treatments. Conclusions: The quality of life of adults with atopic dermatitis is negatively affected. This disease requires a professional, holistic, multidisciplinary management approach that attempts to mitigate the adverse effects. (C) 2020 AEDV. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U.

BACKGROUND:Hair diseases play an important burden on patients' lives, causing significant emotional and psychosocial distress. However, the impairment due to different hair conditions, such as alopecia areata (AA) and androgenetic alopecia (AGA), has rarely been compared. OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to assess the psychological burden of subgroups of patients with different hair diseases and to compare them to a healthy population. METHODS:In this study, we analysed a subgroup of patients with hair diseases from patients of a large multicentre study including 3635 dermatological patients and 1359 controls from 13 European countries. In the subgroup of patients with hair diseases, we analysed the socio-demographic characteristics, the stress level, and the impact of hair diseases on quality of life (QoL), anxiety, and depression and we compared them among patients with AA, AGA and healthy controls. RESULTS:The study population included 115 patients (77% women, 23% men) with hair diseases, 37 of whom with AA and 20 with AGA. Patients with hair diseases had a lower education level than healthy controls (medium educational level: 43% vs. 28%). Overall, 41% of the patients reported stressful life events during the last 6 months compared with 31% of the controls. Patients with the same age, sex, depression level and comorbidities had a worse QoL when suffering from AA than from AGA (Mean Dermatology Life Quality Index score: 5.8 vs. 2.5). CONCLUSION:Patients with hair diseases are more anxious, depressed and have a lower QoL than controls.

Introducción y objetivosLa hidradenitis supurativa (HS) es una enfermedad inflamatoria crónica de la piel que influencia negativamente la calidad de vida. En la actualidad no existen escalas en español que la evalúen. El objetivo del presente estudio fue desarrollar y validar un cuestionario específico para evaluar la calidad de vida en pacientes con HS.Material y métodosSe desarrolló un estudio multicéntrico en España entre 2016 y 2017 para elaborar un cuestionario. Para ello se consideró tanto el marco conceptual como el conocimiento de la situación del paciente mediante la revisión de la bibliografía, reuniones de profesionales de diferentes áreas y entrevistas con pacientes. El cuestionario resultante se pasó a un grupo de 30 pacientes con 30 ± 10 días de intervalo entre uno y otro.ResultadosEl análisis de fiabilidad muestra una buena consistencia interna y reproductibilidad con puntuación alfa de Cronbach de 0,920 (test) y 0,917 (retest) y coeficiente de correlación intraclase con DLQI y Skindex-29 de 0,698 IC 95% (0,456-0,844) y 0,900 IC 95% (0,801-0,951) respectivamente. Se establecieron puntos de corte para su uso y se comprobó que el instrumento es sensible al cambio.ConclusionesEl cuestionario HSQoL-24 es la primera prueba autoadministrada específica para evaluar la calidad de vida en HS en español. Sencillo de usar y puntuar por los profesionales. Este estudio demuestra que el instrumento es fiable, válido y sensible al cambio, pendiente de realizar estudio confirmatorio con una muestra mayor con 100 pacientes con HS.

IntroducciónEl trastorno dismórfico corporal (TDC) es una enfermedad mental difícil de diagnosticar; puede causar una gran cantidad de sufrimiento, y el tratamiento a menudo es complejo y desafiante.Material y métodoLa población de estudio comprendía 81 pacientes ambulatorios dermatológicos consecutivos que cumplían los criterios de inclusión para la participación. Fueron tratados en hospitales en zonas urbanas (Zaragoza) y rurales (Alcañiz). Es un estudio piloto prospectivo y observacional. Se utilizaron como instrumentos de evaluación: a) La escala de gradación del acné de Cook y b) El Cuestionario de Trastorno Dismórfico Corporal (Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire, BDDQ) (traducción al español). Los posibles casos de TDC se identificaron mediante 2 criterios: 1) Un resultado positivo en el BDDQ (4 puntos positivos y una pregunta de exclusión negativa); y 2) Escala de gradación del acné de Cook que reflejó lesiones no perceptibles/leves (los criterios más estrictos) o lesiones moderadas (criterios menos estrictos)ResultadosEl rango de edad de los pacientes era de 13 a 43 años. La edad promedio fue 19 con una desviación estándar de 6,2. De los 81 participantes, el 54,3% eran mujeres y el 45,7% eran hombres. El 61,7% vivía en el área rural cubierta por el hospital de Alcañiz y el 38,3% era del área urbana atendida por el Hospital Universitario de Zaragoza. Cuando se aplicaron criterios más restrictivos con respecto a la gravedad de la afección (solo los pacientes con acné leve), el proceso de detección de BDDQ resultó en una tasa de prevalencia de TDC del 8,6% (7 pacientes); si los criterios fueron menos restrictivos (incluidos los pacientes con lesiones moderadas), la tasa fue del 14,8% (12 pacientes).DiscusiónVale la pena recordar que los pacientes con TDC que participaron en este estudio pasan un promedio de 2h al día pensando y preocupándose por su apariencia. Este hecho es un recordatorio de la importancia de diagnosticar y tratar correctamente el TDC ya que la afección claramente tiene un impacto serio y negativo en las vidas de los afectados.

This paper is organized jointly by the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Task Force (TF) on Quality of Life (QoL) and Patient-Oriented Outcomes and the EADV TF on acne, rosacea and hidradenitis suppurativa (ARHS). The purpose of this paper was to present current knowledge about QoL assessment in HS, including data on HS-specific health-related (HR) QoL instruments and HRQoL changes in clinical trials, and to make practical recommendations concerning the assessment of QoL in people with HS. HS results in significant quimp that is higher than in most other chronic skin diseases. HS impact in published studies was assessed predominantly (84% of studies) by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). There is a lack of high-quality clinical trials in HS patients where HRQoL instruments have been used as outcome measures. One double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial on infliximab with low number of participants reported significantly better HRQoL improvement in the treatment group than in the placebo group. Well-designed clinical studies in HS patients to compare different treatment methods, including surgical methods and assessing long-term effects, are needed. Because of lack of sufficient validation, the Task Forces are not at present able to recommend existing HS-specific HRQoL instruments for use in clinical studies. The EADV TFs recommend the dermatology-specific DLQI questionnaire for use in HS patients. The EADV TFs encourage the further development, validation and use of other HS-specific, dermatology-specific and generic instruments but such use should be based on the principles presented in the previous publications of the EADV TF on QoL and Patient-Oriented Outcomes.

The Infants and Toddlers Dermatology Quality of Life (InToDermQoL) - the first dermatology-specific proxy health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument for 0-4 years old children - showed that children with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) have the highest impact and disease specific problems that were not mentioned by parents of children with other skin diseases during focus groups.1,2 The EB-specific module of the InToDermQoL questionnaire was recently developed.