Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Dec;65(6):1107-16.
doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2010.10.016. Epub 2011 Jul 1.

Quality of life in dermatomyositis

Renato Goreshi  1 , Monika Chock, Kristen Foering, Rui Feng, Joyce Okawa, Matt Rose, David Fiorentino, Victoria Werth
Affiliations

Quality of life in dermatomyositis

Renato Goreshi et al. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Quality of life (QoL) for patients with inflammatory skin disease can be 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.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: Honoraria from Amgen, Centocor, Chemocentryx, and MedImmune (Fiorentino), grants from Centocor, Abbott labs, Amgen (Fiorentino), and a filed patent (U.S. Patent Application Serial Number 12/694,980 for:“Profiling for Determination of Response to Treatment for Inflammatory Disease”, filed on 1/27/2010)(Fiorentino) is also being disclosed.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pain and Pruritus between DM and CLE
Figure 2
Figure 2
Photosensitivity between DM and CLE
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Dugan EM, Huber AM, Miller FW, Rider LG. International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies Group. Review of the classification and assessment of the cutaneous manifestations of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. Dermatol Online J. 2009 Feb 15;15(2):2. - PubMed
    1. Gerami P, Schope JM, McDonald L, Walling HW, Sontheimer RD. A systematic review of adult-onset clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (dermatomyositis siné myositis): A missing link within the spectrum of the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006;54(4):597–613. - PubMed
    1. Gaines EWV. Development of outcome measures for autoimmune dermatoses. Arch Dermatol Res. 2008 January;300(1):3–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Klein RQ, Bangert CA, Costner M, Connolly MK, Tanikawa A, Okawa J, Rose M, Fakharzadeh SS, Fiorentino D, Lee LA, Sontheimer RD, Taylor L, Troxel AB, Werth VP. Comparison of reliability and validity of outcome instruments for cutaneous dermatomyositis. Br J Dermatol. 2008 Sep;159(4):887–894. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Klein R, Moghadam-Kia S, Taylor L, Coley C, Okawa J, LoMonico J, Chren MM, Werth VP. Quality of life in cutaneous lupus erythematosus. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2010 in press. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types