Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores in burn victims after revival.

This study aimed to evaluate reliability and validity of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) in Iranian burned patients and to examine this question, "Does burn severity or other demographical characteristics affect the patient's perception of his or her quality of life after burn injury?" In this study, we used the Persian version of DLQI questionnaire; its reliability and validity has been confirmed earlier in vitiligo patients. The questionnaire was administered to a group of patients with burn scars after revival. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Validity was performed using convergent validity. In all, 109 patients (mean age, 28.94) enrolled in the study. The scores of DLQI ranged from 4 to 28 (mean +/- SD, 17.76 +/- 5.55). Reliability analysis showed satisfactory result (Cronbach's alpha, 0.75). Cronbach's alpha coefficient in the patients with a Burn Index >or=15% was greater than those with <15%, which is an acceptable result. The Persian version of the DLQI is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the impacts of burn scars on quality of life. The life quality index of all the patients irrelevant to age and sex were significantly impaired.

The Persian version of the Cardiff Acne Disability Index. Reliability and validity study.

OBJECTIVE: The Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) assesses the impact of acne on a patients life. The aim of the present study was to translate the CADI into Persian language and to validate the Persian version. METHODS: Using standard forward-backward translation, 2 bilinguals translated the CADI into Persian language. We back translated it into English and the final version was provided. We conducted this study from February through December 2004 on 100 patients with acne attending the Department of Dermatology, Jahrom Medical School, Jahrom, Iran who completed the Persian version of the CADI questionnaire. We carried out all statistical analyses using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 11 for Windows. RESULTS: A total of 100 patients (15 men, 85 women) with acne participated in this study. The mean age of the patients was 20.76 +/- 2.94 years. Scores of the CADI ranged from 2-14 (7.57 +/- 2.58). Reliability analysis showed a satisfactory result (Cronbachs alpha coefficient = 0.79). Moreover, Pearsons correlation coefficient of 0.72 demonstrated the good internal consistency of the scale. CONCLUSION: The Persian version of the CADI questionnaire is a reliable, valid, and valuable tool for assessing the impact of acne on a patient's life.

Ulcerated disseminated cutaneous leishmaniasis associated with vitiligo, hypothyroidism, and diabetes mellitus in a patient with Down syndrome.

We report a 35-year-old man who was referred to our dermatology department with multiple, nodular, ulcerated, and crusted lesions disseminated on the face, trunk, and extremities. He has a known diagnosis of Down syndrome. The past medical history also included vitiligo (for 20 years), hypothyroidism (for 2 years), and type-II diabetes mellitus (for 3 months). Direct smear of an ulcer was positive for leishmania. Skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. A leishmanin skin test was negative. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from two separate skin biopsies demonstrated the presence of Leishmania major. To our knowledge, this is the first report of disseminated cutaneous leishmaniasis (DCL) caused by L. major in Iran, and also the first report of association between DCL with Down syndrome, vitiligo, hypothyroidism, and diabetes mellitus.

An unusual presentation of anetoderma: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Anetoderma is a benign condition with focal loss of dermal elastic tissue resulting in localized areas of flaccid or herniated saclike skin. Currently, anetoderma is classified as either primary (idiopathic), or secondary anetoderma (which is associated with a variety of skin conditions, penicillamine use, or neonatal prematurity). Lesions appear on the upper arms, trunk, and thighs. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a 14-year-old boy, which was noticed to have had multiple, white, non-pruritic areas on the acral sites of upper and lower extremities for two years. In physical examination, the patient had normal mental development. Skin lesions consisted of scattered, white to skin-colored papules, less than 1 cm in diameter, and with central protrusion, with distribution on dorsal part of the index finger, forearms, distal portion of thighs and calves. Lesions were detected neither on the trunk nor the proximal areas of extremities. There are no sensory changes associated with the lesions. Otherwise, his general health was good. He did not have any medication consumption history. Family history was negative. Laboratory examinations were within normal limits. Skin biopsy from one of his lesions was done, that confirmed the diagnosis of anetoderma. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, we report a case of anetoderma on unusual sites of the skin. We could not find similar reports of anetoderma developing on distal extremities without involvement of the upper trunk and proximal arms, in the medical literature.

DLQI scores in vitiligo: reliability and validity of the Persian version.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to translate and to test the reliability and validity of the 10-item Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaire in Iranian patients with vitiligo. METHODS: Using a standard "forward-backward" translation procedure, the English language version of the questionnaire was translated into Persian (the Iranian official language) by two bilinguals. Seventy patients with vitiligo attending the Department of Dermatology, Saadi Hospital, Shiraz, Iran, were enrolled in this study. The reliability and internal consistency of the questionnaire were assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient and Spearman's correlation, respectively. Validity was performed using convergent validity. RESULTS: In all, seventy people entered into the study. The mean age of respondents was 28.3 (SD = 11.09) years. Scores on the DLQI ranged from 0 to 24 (mean +/- SD, 7.05 +/- 5.13). Reliability analysis showed satisfactory result (Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.77). There were no statistically significant differences between daily activity (DA) and personal relationship (PR) scale mean scores in generalized versus focal-segmental involvement in sufferers (P = 0.056, P = 0.053, respectively). There were also strong differences between the mean scores of the PR (personal relationship) scale with the involvement of covered only and covered/uncovered areas (P= 0.016) that was statistically significant in the second group. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings showed that the Persian version of the DLQI questionnaire has a good structural characteristic and is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used for measuring the effects of vitiligo on quality of life.