Health-related quality of life and its influencing factors in adult patients with localized scleroderma - a cross-sectional study.

Background: Localized Scleroderma (LoS) is an autoimmune connective tissue disease that affects skin and less commonly subcutaneous tissues. The illness occurs in children and adults, and may have a serious impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The goal of this study was to explore what factors might deteriorate scores on HRQoL measures in adult LoS patients.

Associations between Disease Activity/Severity and Damage and Health-Related Quality of Life in Adult Patients with Localized Scleroderma-A Comparison of LoSCAT and Visual Analogue Scales.

Localized scleroderma (LoS) is a chronic fibrosing disorder of the skin and, less commonly, subcutaneous tissues. As the disease causes subjective symptoms, cosmetic defects, and, at times, functional disability, subjects with LoS experience deterioration of their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The influence of disease activity/severity and damage status on HRQoL measures in patients with LoS is scarcely known.

An extended high-frequency ultrasound protocol for assessing and quantifying of inflammation and fibrosis in localized scleroderma.

Background: Clinical characteristics of the lesions are used to identify activity and damage in localized scleroderma (LoS). For high-frequency ultrasound (HF-US), the features of active lesions were described.

Materials And Methods: Clinical signs of activity and damage in LoS lesions were assessed with the use of Localized Scleroderma Cutaneous Assessment Tool (LoSCAT) and HF-US by two examiners independently.

Localized Scleroderma Cutaneous Assessment Tool (LoSCAT) adapted for use in adult patients: report from an initial validation study.

Background: Localized scleroderma (LoS) affects both children and adults and is associated with permanent functional and cosmetic impairment, and reduced quality of life predominating in adults. The Localized Scleroderma Cutaneous Assessment Tool (LoSCAT) is a clinical instrument designed to measure an activity and damage of LoS. It has been validated for use with pediatric LoS patients.

Thermal imaging and dermoscopy for detecting inflammation in frontal fibrosing alopecia.

Background: Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is an inflammatory condition of the scalp, which leads to scarring and slowly progressive recession of frontotemporal and/or frontoparietal hairline. Choice of FFA treatment is highly dependent on accurate assessment of disease phase, as medical treatments are effective only during the initial inflammatory stage.

Methods: To objectively quantify the activity of the inflammatory process in FFA, 22 female patients were examined by both infrared thermography and optical dermoscopy before tissue sampling.