Vitiligo-Specific Quality-of-Life Instrument (VitiQoL)

DESCRIPTION:
The Vitiligo-Specific Quality-of-Life instrument (VitiQoL) is a disease-specific, patient-reported outcome measure (PRO). It is designed to assess aspects of health-related quality of life and the impact of vitiligo on daily living. VitiQoL uses a 7-point Likert scale across 3 functional domains with a total score that ranges from 0 to 90.^1,2

DISEASE STATES: 
Vitiligo

VALIDATED USES: 
Screening, Treatment Monitoring

ADMINISTRATION METHOD:
Patient-Reported Outcome

COMMONLY USED IN:
Clinical Trials, Research, Clinical Practice

DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The VitiQoL is a validated, PRO-based tool that was developed in 2013 and is frequently used in vitiligo clinical trials.^1,3 The VitiQoL questionnaire consists of 15 items across 3 domains. It is scored on a 7-point scale that ranges from 0 (“Not at all”) to 6 (“All of the time”). With a one-month recall, the VitiQoL is intended to measure the psychological, social, and behavioral impacts of the vitiligo over the past month. The 15 items are summed, providing a total impact score that may range from 0 to 90. Higher scores indicate greater QoL impairment.^1,2

The 3 domains include: participation limitation, stigma, and behavior.¹

• Items 1–7 are associated with participation limitation
• Items 8–12 are associated with stigma 
• Items 13–15 are associated with behavioral impacts

There is an additional question, item 16, but it does not contribute to the total impact score (0–90). Item 16 focuses on the patient’s current perception about the severity of their skin condition. It also uses a 7-point scale that ranges from 0 (“No skin involvement”) to 6 (“Most severe case”).¹

VALIDITY:
The VitiQoL measure has shown high construct validity correlating with Skindex-16 and DLQI scores (P<0.01).* It has demonstrated concurrent validity with correlations between self-reported severity and VitiQoL scores (r = 0.51) and has high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.935).¹

LIMITATIONS:
Potential selection bias in the investigational study. Responsiveness of the instrument was not tested due to the prolonged time course necessary to observe clinically significant changes in vitiligo.¹ Needs to be validated in larger populations.⁴

*Based on correlations between VitiQoL and external measures (Skindex-16, r = 0.816; DLQI, r = 0.832).

This resource is intended for educational purposes only and is intended for US healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals should use independent medical judgment. All decisions regarding patient care must be handled by a healthcare professional and be made based on the unique needs of each patient.

References: 1. Lilly E et al. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2013;69(1):e11-e18. 2. Chernyshov PV et al. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2023;37(1):21-31. 3. Pathak GN et al. Dermatologic Therapy. 2023;9948769:1-6. 4. Elbuluk N et al.  Dermatol Clin. 2017;35(2):117-128.