Semiquantitative scoring in children under treatment for atopic dermatitis.
BACKGROUND
Atopic dermatitis is the most frequently seen childhood allergic disease in outpatient clinics. Improvement, exacerbation, and response to treatment are typically assessed subjectively and occasionally inaccurately.


METHODS
The authors developed two forms for scoring of dermal manifestations and used them to assess 56 children. The correlation between two pediatricians' scores and correspondence to established categories (mild, moderate, and severe) were determined.


RESULTS
The two physicians' scores for the children correlated well for both forms of scoring. Correspondence of scores as 'mild' and 'moderate' categories were significant (few children participating were 'severe').


CONCLUSIONS
Use of well-constructed scoring forms should improve clinical assessment of patient course and treatment response.
Murao
Yoshinori
Y
Department of Pediatrics, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya-city, Hyogo, Japan. kodomo@hyo-med.ac.jp
Mae
Hiromu
H
Konishi
Tomoko
T
Gao
Xiaojie
X
Tanizawa
Takakuni
T
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index