title: Development and validation of a Hindi language health-related quality of life questionnaire for melasma in Indian patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Melasma, which is fairly common in Indians, causes significant emotional and psychological impact. A Hindi instrument would be useful to assess the impact of melasma on the quality of life in Indian patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To create a semantic equivalent of the original MELASQOL questionnaire in Hindi and validate it.
  
  
  METHODS
  A Hindi adaptation of the original MELASQOL (Hi-MELASQOL) was prepared using previously established guidelines. After pre-testing, the Hi-MELASQOL questionnaire was administered to 100 women with melasma visiting the out-patient registration counter of Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi. These women were also administered a Hindi equivalent of the Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) questionnaire. Melasma area severity index (MASI) of all the participants was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean MASI score was 20.0 ± 7.5 and Hi-MELASQOL score was 37.19 ± 18.15; both were highly, positively and significantly correlated. Reliability analysis showed satisfactory results. Physical health, emotional well-being and social life were the most adversely affected life domains.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was a single-center study and the number of patients studied could have been larger.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hi-MELASQOL is a reliable and validated tool to measure the quality of life in Indians with melasma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Rashmi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sarkar
authors.forename: Shilpa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dominguez
authors.forename: Rajesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Balkrishnan
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Amit G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Pandya
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000208:ethnology; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008548:Melanosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014175:Translating; D055815:Young Adult