Journal
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY
Volume 65, Issue 6, Pages 1107-1116Publisher
MOSBY-ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2010.10.016
Keywords
autoimmune disease; clinical research; connective tissue disease; cutaneous lupus; dermatomyositis; itch; pruritus; quality of life
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) [NIH K24-AR 02207, NIH 5-R25-HL084665-04]
- Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development, Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development
- Centocor
- Abbott Laboratories
- Amgen
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Background: Quality of life (QoL) for patients with inflammatory skin disease can he significant, but has been evaluated in just one study in dermatomyositis (DM). Objective: We sought to examine the relationship between the Cutaneous Dermatomyositis Area (CDASI) and Severity Index, a DM-specific cutaneous severity instrument. and various QoL study instruments and to determine the impact of DM on QoL. Methods: Skin-specific QoL instruments, the Skindex and the Dermatology Life Quality Index, and global medical QoL instruments, the Short Form 36 and the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index, were used. Pruritus was evaluated by a visual analog scale and a 0-to-10 scale in DM and cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) populations, respectively. Results: There was a significant correlation between the CDASI and all skin-specific QoL scores (lowest P = .0377). Using the Short Form 36, DM population was found to have significantly worse QoL scores than the general population with the exception of bodily pain (all subscore P values < .01). Furthermore, DM had a significantly lower vitality score, representing energy level, compared with CLE, hypertension, diabetes, and recent myocardial infarction scores (lowest P = .003). There was a significantly lower mental health score, representing overall mood, to all compared diseases except CLE and clinical depression (P values < .01 when significant). We found that DM produces more pruritus than CLE (P < .0001). Limitations: A larger patient population needs to be studied to further assess QoL in patients with DM. Conclusion: We conclude that DM has a large impact on QoL, even when compared with other diseases, and that DM skin disease activity correlates with a poorer QoL. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2011;65:1107-16.)
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