[Validation of the Spanish version of the diagnostic questionnaire of the Working Group on Atopic Dermatitis of the United Kingdom].

BACKGROUND

Although there are several diagnostic questionnaires for atopic dermatitis (AD), they have not yet been validated or cannot be used in population studies. Our objective was to validate the questionnaire developed by United Kingdom Working Party's Diagnostic criteria for Atopic Dermatitis (UKWPDCAD).

METHODS

Validation was developed in two steps: first, the questionnaire was adapted by means of translation and back-translation. Second, validation was conducted with 237 patients referred to the hospital with diagnoses unknown to the investigators. Patients were independently assessed by the investigators who were blinded to the questionnaire.

RESULTS

A total of 102 cases of AD were diagnosed among the 237 patients. The questionnaire showed a sensitivity of 76.5%, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 66.8%-84.1%. The specificity was 90.4% (CI = 83.8%-94.6%); the positive predictive value was 85.7% (CI = 76.4%-91.8%), and the negative predictive value 83.6% (CI = 76.3%-89%).

CONCLUSIONS

The spanish version of the questionnaire has shown a high diagnostic accuracy, similar to the original written in english. We consider it a useful tool to be used in frequency studies of AD in large general populations.