BACKGROUND:Vitiligo, although asymptomatic, highly compromises patients' quality of life
(QoL). Therefore, an adequate evaluation of QoL is essential.OBJECTIVES:Translation, cultural adaptation and validation of VitiQol (Vitiligo-specific
health-related quality of life instrument) into Brazilian Portuguese.METHODS:The study was conducted in two stages; the first stage was the translation and
cultural/linguistic adaptation of the instrument; the second stage was the
instrument's validation.RESULTS:The translated VitiQol showed high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.944)
and high test-retest reliability and intraclass correlation coefficient=0.95 (CI
95% 0.86 - 0.98), p<0.001. There was no statistically significant difference
between the means of the first completion of the VitiQoL questionnaire and the
retest, p = 0.661. There was a significant correlation between VitiQoL and DLQI (r
= 0.776, p <0.001) and also between VitiQoL-PB and subjects' assessment of the
severity of their disease (r = 0.702, p <0.001).CONCLUSIONS:The impact of vitiligo on the QoL of Brazilian patients can be assessed by a
specific questionnaire.