Examining Cutaneous Disease Activity as an Outcome Measure for Clinical Trials in Dermatomyositis

The retrospective review involved 171 patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and aimed to find the correlation between quality of life (QoL) measures and the Cutaneous Dermatomyositis Activity and Severity Index (CDASI) activity scores. It sought to identify the CDASI score below which no further QoL improvements are seen. The study found that the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) indicated a CDASI cut-off value of 4, while the Skindex-29 subscales had higher cut-off values (Emotions at 10, Functioning at 8, Symptoms at 7). The results suggest that for patients with mild DM skin disease (CDASI≤14), QoL is not significantly impacted by minimal cutaneous disease activity below these cut-off values, implying that total skin clearance may not be a necessary goal for these patients. This study supports the development of clinical trials with endpoints that are more meaningful to patients' QoL.