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A study has found that the Patient-Oriented Scoring atopic dermatitis (PO-SCORAD), PO-SCORAD subscores, numeric rating scale (NRS)-itch and Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) are valid instruments that can be used to assess the severity of AD. Findings from the study were published in the British Journal of Dermatology.
A population of 2893 adults from the GfK Knowledge Panel were included in the study, of whom 602 met criteria for AD. The severity of AD was evaluated by global AD severity, POEM, PO-SCORAD and its components, and the NRS-itch. Additionally, the short-form (SF)-12 mental and physical health scores, SF-6D health utility scores, and Dermatology Life Quality Index were used to assess quality of life. The researchers also examined Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores in the population.
There were moderate to strong correlations between the PO-SCORAD, PO-SCORAD objective and subjective sub-scores, NRS-itch, and POEM. The researchers also found inverse correlations with SF-12 Mental Health Composite Scores (MCS) and SF-6D (Pearson correlations, P <.0001). PO-SCORAD had stronger correlations with Dermatology Life Quality Index (P =.003), SF-12 MCS (P =.002), SF-6D (P =.006), HADS-anxiety (P =.0001), and HADS-depression (P =.005) than with POEM. The PO-SCORAD, PO-SCORAD objective subscores, as well as POEM had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha=0.84, 0.82, and 0.86, respectively).
The reliance on self-reported data as well as the lack of testing for responsiveness, test-retest reliability, and content validity represent potential limitations of the study.
The researchers concluded that the instruments used in their study “may be useful for the assessment of AD severity in clinical practice and epidemiological research.”
Disclosure: Multiple authors disclosed affiliations with pharmaceutical companies. See the reference for complete disclosure information.
Reference
Silverberg JI, Margolis DJ, Boguniewicz M, et al. Validation of five patient-reported outcomes for atopic dermatitis severity in adults [published online April 10, 2019]. Br J Dermatol. doi:10.1111/bjd.18002
