Clinical evaluation of the computerized chronic urticaria-specific quality of life questionnaire in Korean patients with chronic urticaria.
BACKGROUND
Chronic urticaria (CU) is a common skin disorder that affects the well-being and quality of life (QOL) of patients. Recently, we developed and validated a questionnaire for measuring QOL in Korean patients with CU, called the Chronic Urticaria-Specific Quality of Life (CU-QOL) questionnaire.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the clinical significance of a computerized version of the CU-QOL, in adult patients with CU.


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional observational study that enrolled 249 Korean patients with CU from five university hospitals and measured computerized CU-QOL scores and Urticaria Activity Score (UAS) simultaneously. The internal consistency of the computerized CU-QOL was analysed using Cronbach α. To identify clinical correlations between the CU-QOL and patient characteristics, the atopic status and serum autoantibodies, including antinuclear, antithyroglobulin and antimicrosome antibodies, were measured. Multiple linear regression models were used to identify CU-QOL predictors.


RESULTS
Cronbach α was 0.94 for the overall computerized CU-QOL score. The CU-QOL scores correlated significantly with the UAS (r= -0.49, P<0.001). Of the factors aggravating CU, delayed pressure, sunlight exposure and emotional stress significantly influenced the overall CU-QOL scores in the univariate analysis. Multivariate regression models indicated that UAS and emotional stress were significant predictors of the four domains and of the total CU-QOL scores.


CONCLUSIONS
The computerized CU-QOL is a convenient and valid tool for measuring QOL in patients with CU. This study suggests that UAS, dermatographism and emotional stress are strong CU-QOL predictors in Korean patients with CU.
Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
Y-M
YM
Ye
J-W
JW
Park
S-H
SH
Kim
J-H
JH
Choi
G-Y
GY
Hur
H-Y
HY
Lee
E-H
EH
Lee
H-S
HS
Park
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012986:Software Validation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014581:Urticaria / Q000276:immunology / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
D001323:Autoantibodies