Dermatology Life Quality Index: Data from Danish inpatients and outpatients

The aim of the present study was to provide data on the reliability and val idity of a Danish translation of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), a short measure of the impact of dermatological diseases on quality of lif e. The DLQI was administered to 200 outpatients and 100 hospitalized patien ts suffering from a range of dermatological diseases and to 100 sex- and ag e-matched healthy controls. Mean scores, internal consistency and test - re test reliability were comparable to the results reported for the original E nglish version. Hospitalized patients reported greater impairment of diseas e-related quality of life than outpatients, and patients with atopic dermat itis and psoriasis exhibited greater scores than patients suffering from ot her dermatological diseases. Discriminant, construct and predictive validit ies of the Danish translation of the DLQI were satisfactory, as indicated b y significant associations between DLQI scores and physician-rated disease severity, disease duration and the time patients were willing to spend each day on a hypothetical effective treatment. The results also suggest that t he emphasis Danish patients place on various aspects of disability covered by the questionnaire is similar to that of English patients. In conclusion, the Danish translation of the DLQI showed satisfactory reliability and the preliminary results indicate that this version is a valid measure, which c an be used in both research and clinical settings.