Acta dermato-venereologica
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Acta Derm. Venereol. · Sep 2013
German version of ItchyQoL: validation and initial clinical findings.
Pruritus is a major symptom of numerous skin and systemic diseases and causes a substantial burden on patients' quality of life (QoL). We report here the validation of the German version (GerItchyQoL) of the first pruritus-specific QoL instrument ItchyQoL. GerItchyQoL was created from the original version following standard protocols. ⋯ Changes in GerItchyQoL scores correlated with changes in itch severity (VAS), suggesting responsiveness of the German tool. This study provides preliminary evidence of validity, reliability and responsiveness of GerItchyQoL and also shows a high impact of chronic pruritus on QoL. Further translations of ItchyQoL into additional languages will enable large-scale international, multilingual trials.