GHTM

Global Health and Tropical Medicine

  • GHTM
    • Vision
    • Mission
    • Governance
    • Scientific Advisory Board
  • News
    • Outreach
    • Events
      • GHTM Sessions
      • Workshops
    • Articles
    • Jobs
  • Research
    • Cross-cutting issues
      • Global Pathogen Dispersion and Population Mobility
      • Drug Discovery and Drug Resistance
      • Diagnostics
      • Public Health Information
      • Fair Research Partnerships
    • Research Groups
      • PPS – Population health, policies and services
      • THOP – TB, HIV and opportunistic diseases and pathogens
      • VBD – Vector borne diseases and pathogens
      • IHC – Individual health care
    • Research in numbers
      • 2022
      • 2021
      • 2020
      • 2019
      • 2018
      • 2017
    • Projects
      • Ongoing Projects
      • Completed Projects
    • Members
      • Population health, policies and services
        • PPS PhD members
        • PPS non PhD members
      • TB, HIV and opportunistic diseases and pathogens
        • THOP PhD members
        • THOP non PhD members
      • Vector-borne diseases and pathogens
        • VBD PhD members
        • VBD non PhD members
      • Individual Health Care
        • IHC PhD members
        • IHC non PhD members
      • Technical / administrative support
  • Publications
    • 2023
    • 2022
  • Education
    • Master Theses
    • PhD Theses
  • Services
  • Reports
    • GHTM Reports
    • Scientific Advisory Board Reports
Home / Publicações / Skindex-29 cutoffs in an atopic dermatitis sample

Skindex-29 cutoffs in an atopic dermatitis sample

  • Autores: Daniela Carvalho, Pedro Aguiar, Paulo Ferrinho
  • Ano de Publicação: 2021
  • Journal: International Journal of Dermatology, 60(2), pp e45-e47
  • Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.15237

CORRESPONDENCE

Dear Editor,

The Skindex-29 instrument has been widely studied and can be used comfortably in clinical and research settings that need to measure changes in quality of life (QoL) impact. In addition, Skindex-29 has a broad emotional component and can be used to further characterize the emotional impact of skin disease. It is one of the most used questionnaires and the first choice in dermatological practice in several countries.

As a high receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve level (per dimension and total) was found in a validation study, it was possible to validate a high discriminatory power for the Skindex-29 index. Thus, with a larger Portuguese community sample, optimal cutoffs were determined based on ROC curve analysis, maximizing sensitivity and specificity in relation to the disease. The sample was mainly patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), other eczemas, and urticaria, with a median (range) age of 21.5 (0.5–74), 43.0 (9–59), and 42.0 (7–90), respectively, and most patients were female. Further characteristics as well as the mean of Skindex scores are presented in an already published article.

Cutoff values were determined from ROC curves with area under the curve (AUC) >0.6 – that is, with a good discriminative power – using Skindex-29 scores by disease and disease severity in order to find a cutoff to distinguish between more negatively impaired QoL vs. less impaired QoL. For selection of this cutoff, the criteria were: (i) sensitivity and specificity values above 50% and (ii) sensitivity greater than specificity. The value that maximized the sum of sensitivity and specificity was selected as the optimal cutoff.

(…) Only results relevant to overall AD and severe AD were obtained. The present cutoffs categorize the sample into patients with negatively impaired QoL vs. less impaired QoL. The cutoff for our overall AD cohort was 31.35 while that for the severe AD cases was 26.46. Patients’ perceptions of QoL are not highly correlated with clinical assessments of the AD severity, varying from no, positive, or negative correlation. This may be the reason for the observed lower cutoffs among the severe AD patients. Having an inferior specificity, there might be some false positives, that is, some patients with score >26 where the QoL is less impaired.

Skindex revealed the ability to discriminate severe disease in a certain cutoff. We highlight the fact that this sample is limited. Only three diseases, individually, were included, and only one country is represented. Despite not being a robust sample, the found cutoffs are aligned with the previously, and a few, published cutoffs. Additionally, analyses with different statistical tests and methodology provide information on Skindex cutoffs in order to identify patients with more impaired QoL. It is crucial to know how to interpret the data resulting from QoL scales. In this way, these findings came to increase knowledge and to underline prior calculations.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Events

Retention in Care and Virological Failure among Adult HIV-Positive Patients on First-Line Antiretroviral Treatment in Maputo, Mozambique

    “Retention in Care and Virological Failure among Adult HIV-Positive Patients … [Read More...]

European Researchers’ Night 2023: join GHTM researchers to play ‘Hunt for viruses’

  On 29th September, the European Researchers Night reunite Portuguese researchers from all … [Read More...]

Carla Maia awarded by the Journal of Comparative Pathology Education Trust

  Carla Maia, Assistant Researcher and member of VBD-GHTM Research Group, was invited to … [Read More...]

Ciência Viva 2023: “PSI Parasite Scene Investigation – Be a Researcher for a week”

  “PSI Parasite Scene Investigation - Be a Researcher for a week” was the GHTM-IHMT … [Read More...]

Call for PhD Studentships

The Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (NOVA), through … [Read More...]

IHMT | GHTM – APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN!

IHMT | GHTM - Applications are open for three research vacancies:   One position - PhD … [Read More...]

About GHTM

GHTM is a R&D Center that brings together researchers from IHMT with a track record in Tropical Medicine and International/Global Health. It aims at strengthening Portugal's role as a leading partner in the development and implementation of a global health research agenda. Our evidence-based interventions contribute to the promotion of equity in health and to improve the health of populations.

Contacts

Rua da Junqueira, 100
1349-008 Lisboa
Portugal
+351 213 652 600
+351 213 632 105

  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Subscribe Newsletter

  • How to get to GHTM/IHMT
  • GHTM Sessions
  • Research Groups
  • Cross-cutting issues
© Copyright 2023 IHMT-UNL Todos os Direitos Reservados.
  • Universidade Nova de Lisboa
  • Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

    Project UID/Multi/04413/2013