The Objective Severity Assessment of Atopic Dermatitis (OSAAD) score: validity, reliability and sensitivity in adult patients with atopic dermatitis

• Published in: British journal of dermatology (1951) Vol. 153; no. 4; pp. 767 - 773
• Main Authors: Angelova-Fischer, I., Bauer, A., Hipler, U. C., Petrov, I., Kazandjieva, J., Bruckner, T., Diepgen, T., Tsankov, N., Williams, M., Fischer, T.W., Elsner, P., Fluhr, J.W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.10.2005; Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Adult; Allergic diseases; atopic dermatitis; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Dermatitis, Atopic - diagnosis; Dermatitis, Atopic - pathology; Dermatitis, Atopic - physiopathology; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted - methods; Female; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; Immunopathology; Interleukin-16 - blood; Male; Medical sciences; Observer Variation; OSAAD; reliability; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Severity of Illness Index; severity score; Skin allergic diseases. Stinging insect allergies; validity; Water Loss, Insensible; Human; Allergy; Immunopathology; Evaluation; Skin disease; Dermatology; Atopy; Validity; Sensitivity; Atopic dermatitis; Adult; Severity score; Reliability; OSAAD
• ISSN: 0007-0963; 1365-2133
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2005.06697.x

Summary Background  The Objective Severity Assessment of Atopic Dermatitis (OSAAD) score is a recently developed scale for evaluation of severity of atopic dermatitis, constructed from the assessment of epidermal barrier function, and properties using noninvasive bioengineering methods and computer‐assisted estimates of disease extent. The method has been validated for use in infants and children with atopic dermatitis and compared with a referent scoring system. Objectives  The aim of the present study was to test the validity, reliability and sensitivity of the OSAAD score as an objective tool for the assessment of the severity of atopic dermatitis in adult patients. Methods  Thirty‐two adult patients with atopic dermatitis were included in the study. To assess the validity of the OSAAD score we tested it against the Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index of the European Task Force on Atopic Dermatitis as a referent clinical severity scale, and the serum levels of interleukin (IL)‐16 as a laboratory variable for monitoring the activity of atopic dermatitis. Responsiveness to change was assessed in a longitudinal study comparing OSAAD, SCORAD and serum levels of IL‐16 before and after treatment. To test the reliability of the OSAAD score we studied the interobserver variability of the score recorded by three independent board‐certified dermatologists in 16 patients and compared it with SCORAD. Results  We report a significant correlation between the OSAAD and the SCORAD index as an acknowledged referent severity scale. The OSAAD score correlated significantly with the serum levels of IL‐16 in the acute stage of atopic dermatitis. In a longitudinal study, the OSAAD score decreased significantly, parallel with improvement of the skin findings and a significant decrease in the SCORAD score and IL‐16 serum levels. We report improved interobserver variability for the OSAAD score compared with SCORAD. Conclusions  This is the first study validating the OSAAD score as a sensitive and reliable tool for the assessment of the severity of atopic dermatitis in adult patients.