Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has increasingly been recognized as an important aspect of a comprehensive clinical assessment in dermatology. Objective: The aim of the present study was to translate and validate one of the most frequently used and established skin disease-specific HRQOL questionnaires originally developed in English for the German language area: the Skindex-29. Methods: 295 in-patients with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis completed the German translation of the Skindex as well as a number of additional skin disease-specific questionnaires. Data from 2 subsamples were analysed separately to test for the robustness of results. Results: Results from principal component analyses supported the scale structure of the original Skindex. Internal consistency coefficients were high for all scales. Further analyses supported the convergent validity of the German adaptation of the Skindex-29 as well as its sensitivity to change. Conclusion: The study provides evidence for the validity and reliability of the Skindex-29.

Keywords:
Skindex-29, German version, Health-related qualityof life, Validation, Psoriasis, Atopic dermatitis, Skin diseases
1.
Chren MM, Lasek RJ, Quinn LM, Mostow EN, Zyzanski SJ: Skindex, a quality-of-life measure for patients with skin diseases: Reliability, validity and responsiveness. J Invest Dermatol 1996;107:707–713.
2.
Abeni D, Picardi A, Pasquini P, Melchi CF, Chren MM: Further evidence of the validity and reliability of the Skindex-29: An Italian study on 2,242 dermatological outpatients. Dermatology 2002;204:43–49.
3.
Augustin M, Zschocke I, Seidenglanz K, Lange S, Schiffler A, Amon U: Validation and clinical results of the FLQA-d, a quality of life questionnaire for patients with chronic skin diseases. Dermatol Psychosom 2000;1:12–17.
4.
Niemeier V, Kupfer J, Demmelbauer-Ebner M, Stangier U, Effendy I, Gieler U: Coping with acne vulgaris: Evaluation of the chronic skin disorders questionnaire in patients with acne. Dermatology 1998;196:108–115.
5.
Salek MS, Kahn GK, Finlay AY: Questionnaire techniques in assessing acne handicap: Reliability and validity study. Quality Life Res 1996;5:131–138.
6.
O’Donnell BF, Lawlor FL, Simpson J, Morgan M, Greaves MW: The impact of chronic urticaria on quality of life. Br J Dermatol 1997;136:197–201.
7.
Sigurdardottir V, Bolund C, Brandberg Y, Sullivan M: The impact of generalized malignant melanoma on quality of life evaluated by the EORTC questionnaire technique. Quality Life Res 1993;2:193–203.
8.
Augustin M, Zschocke I, Wiek K, Peschen M: Psychosocial stress of patients with port wine stains and expectations of dye-laser treatment. Dermatology 1998;197:353–360.
9.
Lubeck DP: Measuring health-related quality of life in onychomycosis. J Am Acad Dermatol 1998;38(5, pt 3):64–68.
10.
Augustin M, Dieterle W, Zschocke I, Brill C, Trefzer D, Peschen M, Vanscheidt W: Development and validation of a disease-specific questionnaire on the quality of life of patients with chronic venous insufficiency. Vasa 1997;26:291–301.
11.
Garrett AM, Macdonald LM, Ruta DA, Russell IT, et al: Towards measurement of outcome for patients with varicose veins. Qual Health Care 1993;2:5–10.
12.
Lindholm C, Bjellerup M, Christensen OB, Zederfeldt B: Quality of life in chronic leg ulcer patients: An assessment according to the Nottingham Health Profile. Acta Derm Venereol 1993;73:440–443.
13.
Phillips T, Stanton B, Provan A, Lew R: A study of the impact of leg ulcers on quality of life: Financial, social and psychologic implications. J Am Acad Dermatol 1994;31:49–53.
14.
Finlay AY: Quality of life measurement in dermatology: A practical guide. Br J Dermatol 1997;136:305–314.
15.
Salek MS: Measuring the quality of life patients with skin disease; in Walker SR, Rosser RM (eds): Quality of Life Assessment: Key Issues in the 1990s. Lancaster, Kluwer Academic, 1993, pp 355–370.
16.
Chren MM, Lasek RJ, Quinn LM, Covinsky KE: Convergent and discriminant validty of a generic and a disease-specific instrument to measure quality of life in patients with skin disease. J Invest Dermatol 1997;108:103–107.
17.
Chren MM, Lasek RJ, Flocke SA, Zyzanski SJ: Improved discriminative and evaluative capability of a refined version of Skindex, a quality-of-life instrument for patients with skin diseases. Arch Dermatol 1997;133:1433–1440.
18.
Jones-Caballero M, Penas PF, Garcia-Diez A, Badia X, Chren MM: The Spanish version of Skindex-29. Int J Dermatol 2000;39:907–912.
19.
Frederiksson T, Pettersson U: Severe psoriasis – Oral therapy with a new retinoid. Dermatologica 1978;157:238–244.
20.
Hanifin JM, Thurston M, Omoto M, Cherill R, Tofte SJ, Graeber M and the EASI Evaluator Group: The eczema area and severity index (EASI): Assessment of reliability in atopic dermatitis. Exp Dermatol 2001;10:11–18.
21.
Augustin M, Zschocke I, Seidenglanz K, Lange S, Schiffler A: Validation and clinical results of the FLQA-d, a quality of life questionnaire for patients with chronic skin diseases. Dermatol Psychosom 2000;1:12–17.
22.
Stangier U, Ehlers A, Gieler U: Fragebogen zur Bewältigung von Hautkrankheiten: Manual (Questionnaire on coping with skin diseases: manual). Göttingen, Hogrefe, 1996.
23.
Finlay AY, Khan GK: Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) – A simple practical measure for routine clinical use. Clin Exp Dermatol 1994;19:210–216.
24.
Guillemin F, Bombardier C, Beaton D: Cross-cultural adaptation of health-related quality of life measures: Literature review and proposed guidelines. J Clin Epidemiol 1993;46:1417–1432.
25.
Mathias SD, Fifer SK, Patrick DL: Rapid translation of quality of life measures for international clinical trials: Avoiding errors in the minimalist approach. Qual Life Res 1994;3:403–412.
© 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel
2004
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.