Objective. To evaluate the validity of the Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index (CLASI) for use by rheumatologists via reliability testing, and to extend the validation for dermatologists. Methods. Fourteen subjects with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE; n ؍ 10), a mimicker skin disease only (a cutaneous lesion that may appear clinically similar to CLE; n ؍ 1), or both (n ؍ 3) were rated with the CLASI by academic-based dermatologists (n ؍ 5) and rheumatologists (n ؍ 5). Results. The dermatology intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.92 for activity and 0.82 for damage; for rheumatology the ICC was 0.83 for activity and 0.86 for damage. For intrarater reliability, the dermatology Spearman's rho was 0.94 for activity and 0.97 for damage; for rheumatology the Spearman's rho was 0.91 for activity and 0.99 for damage. Conclusion. Our data confirm the reliability of the CLASI when used by dermatologists and support the CLASI as a reliable instrument for use by rheumatologists.
Validated outcome measures are essential in monitoring disease severity. SpeciWcally in dermatology, which relies heavily on the clinical evaluation of the patient and not on laboratory values and radiographic tests, outcome measures help standardize patient care. Validated cutaneous scoring systems, much like standardized laboratory values, facilitate disease management and follow therapeutic response. Several cutaneous autoimmune dermatoses, speciWcally cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), dermatomyositis (DM), and pemphigus vulgaris (PV), lack such outcome measures. As a result, evaluation of disease severity and patients' response to therapy over time is less reliable. Ultimately, patient care is compromised. These diseases, which are often chronic and relapsing and remitting, are also often refractory to treatment. Without outcome measures, new therapies cannot be systematically assessed in these diseases. Clinical trials that are completed without standardized outcome measures produce less reliable results. Therefore, the development of validated outcome measures in these autoimmune dermatoses is critical. However, the process of developing these tools is as important, if not more so, than their availability. This review examines the steps that should be considered when developing outcome measures, while further examining their importance in clinical practice and trials. Finally, this review more closely looks at CLE, DM, and PV and addresses the recent and ongoing progress that has been made in the development of their outcome measures.
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