Abstract

GONZALEZ, D et al. Revised cutaneous lupus erythematosus disease area and severity index (RCLASI). Rev. argent. dermatol. [online]. 2015, vol.96, n.2, pp.1-22. ISSN 1851-300X.

Objectives: to assess the practical utility of Revised Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index (RCLASI) in our population. To correlate: RCLASI with DLQI (Dermatology Life Quality Index). Materials and Methods: observational, descriptive and transversal study that was performed in Hospital General de Agudos José María Ramos Mejía, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires - Argentina - by two groups of observers divided by their level of experience in dermatology. RCLASI and DLQI were assessed in 12 patients with Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE). Time spent, inter observer variability and method´s levels of difficulty were evaluated. Results: the mean activity score for the group of low experience was 11,8 (SD 8,1) and for the group of moderate / high experience 12,7 (SD 8). The mean damage score for the former was 4 (SD 4,79) and for the later 4,4 (SD 5,4). The mean time spent by both groups was 7,76 minutes (9,79 minutes mean by the group of low experience and 5,73 by the group of moderate / high experience). The method was considered easy in more than 50% of the cases, independently of the observers´s level of experience. 50% of the patients did not show effect in their quality of life whereas 16,5% showed little effect, 25% mild effect, and 8,5% big effect. Conclusions: RCLASI is a useful and feasible method to evaluate all types of CLE. It’s easy and rapid, however it lacks a severity scale. This later limited its comparison with DLQI.

Keywords : Lupus; RCLASI; DLQI.