OBJECTIVES: The UAS7 is a patient-reported measure of urticaria symptoms. Daily pruritus scores and number of hives are summed over 7 days for a weekly score. The DLQI was developed as a brief (10-item) patient-reported measure with one-week recall for routine clinical use to assess the psychosocial effects of skin disease. The objective of this analysis was to examine changes in the UAS7 with those of the DLQI to see if the DLQI could be used in a clinic visit in lieu of collecting one week of UAS7 diary data.
METHODS: Data come from three pivotal, phase 3 clinical trials investigating the effects of omalizumab for patients with refractory CSU/CIU (publication available elsewhere). DLQI data were collected at baseline and weeks 4, 12, 24, and 40 (ASTERIA I and GLACIAL), and baseline and weeks 4, 12, and 28 (ASTERIA II). UAS7 score was reported at baseline and every four weeks but data from the same weeks as the DLQI were used for these analyses. Pooled data from all 3 studies were analysed using latent growth models to generate intercepts and slopes of change across trials for each patient, irrespective of treatment. Slopes of change were correlated to examine how closely DLQI changes mirrored UAS7 changes.
RESULTS: Results indicated that both measures showed large improvements over the course of the trials: UAS7 and DLQI scores were high at the start of the study reflecting moderate-severe CSU/CIU (UAS7) and a very large effect on patient’s life (DLQI). Correlations between changes in DLQI and changes in UAS7 by study end were 0.88, 0.85, and 0.88, indicating high correspondence between the two measures.
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that collecting DLQI information in-clinic can provide an excellent indication of the weekly UAS7 score, and is more efficient for clinical practice routine in assessing CSU/CIU patients.
