Atopic Dermatitis Burden Scale for Adults: Development and Validation of a New Assessment Tool

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) occurs in approximately 2-3% of adults. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the self-administered Atopic Dermatitis Burden Scale for Adults (ABS-A). Patients were enrolled consecutively from those attending the Station Thermale Avène for a diagnosis of AD. ABS-A was developed using standard methodology, and consisted of 3 phases: exploratory, development, and validation. Internal consistency (Cronbach's α), concurrent validity (Spearman's correlation between ABS-A, SF-12 and Dermatology Life Quality Index [DLQI)]), and discriminant validity, were analysed. A total of 128 adults (68.8% females) completed the ABS-A, consisting of 18 items grouped into 4 domains. ABS-A showed good internal coherence (Cronbach's α, 0.89) and was correlated with both SF-12 components [r = -0.36, p < 0.0001 (Physical); r = -0.52, p < 0.0001 (Mental)] and DLQI (r = 0.78; p < 0.0001). The ABS-A score varied significantly according to AD severity. To our knowledge, ABS-A is the first specific tool for assessing AD burden in adult patients.