Measurement properties of outcome measures for vitiligo. A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE To summarize and critically appraise the evidence on the measurement properties of clinician-, patient-, and observer-reported outcomes, measuring any construct of interest in patients with all types of vitiligo. DATA SOURCES Electronic databases including PubMed (1948 to July 2011), OVID EMBASE (1980 to July 2011), and CINAHL (EBSCOhost) (1982 to July 2011) were searched. STUDY SELECTION Two authors independently screened all records for eligibility.

The burden of vitiligo: patient characteristics associated with quality of life.

Background: Vitiligo is commonly regarded as a harmless cosmetic skin problem in Western societies, and the importance of treating patients with vitiligo is often underestimated.

Objective: We sought to determine the clinical and sociodemographic variables that adversely affect the quality of life in adult patients with generalized vitiligo so that these variables can be considered in the treatment and care.

Methods: A total of 245 adult patients with generalized vitiligo completed two quality-of-life questionnaires (the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-form General Health Survey and the Skindex-29).

Long-term follow-up of patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis of the upper extremity: survival, risk factors and post-thrombotic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The outcome of upper extremity thrombosis in terms of morbidity, mortality and arm functionality is virtually unknown. We investigated mortality, risk factors, recurrent thrombosis and post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) in patients with suspected upper extremity thrombosis. METHODS: Consecutive patients suspected of having deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the upper extremity were followed for up to 53 months (mean 21 months).