Validazione di QUAVIDERM, uno strumento per la valutazione della qualita di vita Italiana in dermatologia

Skin diseases, but also unaesthetic cutaneous disorders especially when localized in visible sites, have been recognized as having a more or less detrimental effect on psychophysical and social well-being of patients. QUAVIDERM is a questionnaire with 11 questions designed to assess the QUAlity of Italian Life (Vita Italiana) in DERMatology. It has been built on the basis of data supplied by dermatological patients (DP) from different geographical areas and from towns of various sizes, thus ensuring the broadest possibility of extrapolability of the questionnaire and its validity over the whole of the national territory. The present multicentre, controlled and open study was aimed at validating QUAVIDERM by comparing the answers of dermatological out-patients with those of healthy controls (HC). The HC were those accompanying the DP, but only those who had not undergone medical and/or dermatological examinations in the previous 2 months and who had no apparent disability. After having been explained the non compulsory nature of the study and its guaranteed confidentiality, the questionnaire was given to 527 unselected DP consecutively examined (259 males, 268 females; mean age, 36.8 ± 3.6 years) and 404 HC (172 males, 232 females; mean age, 38.9 ± 3.1 years). The mean scores of QUAVIDERM (both overall and for the single items) in the two populations were calculated and then statistically compared (Student t test, χ² 2x4, Tukey test, Kruskal-Wallis test). The results confirmed the validity of questionnaire because both the mean overall score (9.87 in DP vs 3.59 in HC) and the mean score of single items were significantly increased (p < 0.01). Finally, the stratification of DP by diagnosis seems highlight that the quality of Italian life worsens mainly in psoriatics (mean overall score ± SD 12.8 ± 6.20), but single features of the quality of life may be compromised in other skin diseases. These data however, will be verified in an appropriate population size.