Original Research Article Measuring of quality of life in autoimmune blistering disorders in Poland. Validation of disease – specific Autoimmune Bullous Disease Quality of Life (ABQOL) and the Treatment Autoimmune Bullous Disease Quality of Life (TABQOL) questionnaires Agnieszka Kalinska-Bienias a, *, Beata Jakubowska a , Cezary Kowalewski a , Dedee F. Murrell b , Katarzyna Wozniak a a Department of Dermatology and Immunodermatology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland b Department of Dermatology, University of South Wales, St. George Hospital Campus, Sydney, Australia 1. Introduction Autoimmune bullous diseases (AIBD) concern a heterogeneous group of blistering disorders characterized by the development of bullae as a result of some antibodies activity against the different adhesion structures within the skin and/or mucous membranes. Therefore, due to their antigenic heterogeneity, AIBD have several types, including bullous pemphigoid (BP), pemphigus vulgaris (PV), pemphigus foliaceus (PF), mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP), epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA), linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD) and other more rarely occurring diseases [1]. The AIBD, being chronic conditions with an enduring course which is potentially life-threatening, seem to have a significant impact on quality of life (QOL) with an effect on physical symptoms, emotional status and social health [2]. However, it needs to be stressed, that previous studies have been mainly focused on pemphigus evaluating QOL by using such tools as generic the Short Form Health Survey 36-item (SF-36), Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ- 12), Clinical Depression Questionnaire (CDQ), Aptitude Testing Anxiety Scale questionnaire (ASQ) and dermatology-specific Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Skindex-29 [3–9]. It is known that disease-specific QOL instruments are most sensitive Advances in Medical Sciences 62 (2017) 92–96 A R T I C L E I N F O Article history: Received 19 April 2016 Accepted 26 July 2016 Available online Keywords: ABQOL TABQOL Autoimmune bullous diseases Disease-specific quality questionnaires A B S T R A C T Purpose: Autoimmune bullous dermatoses (AIBD) are rare, severe diseases resulting from some antibodies activity against the different adhesion structures within the skin and/or mucosa. Few studies investigated quality of life (QOL) in AIBD by generic and dermatology-specific instruments, all reporting strong impact on QOL. Recently, disease-specific measurement tools have been developed: Autoimmune Bullous Disease Quality of Life (ABQOL) and Treatment of Autoimmune Bullous Disease Quality of Life (TABQOL) questionnaires. The aim of this study was to test the reliability and validity of ABQOL and TABQOL by developing the first foreign language versions and to evaluate ABQOL and TABQOL in Polish patients. Material and methods: The study enrolled 80 patients from the tertiary referral center for AIBD at the outpatient clinic or on admission to the hospital. Sixty six patients completed the 17-item questionnaires of each ABQOL and TABQOL at day 0 and after 5–7 days. Both questionnaires were translated into Polish according to protocol. Results: The internal consistency and test–retest reliability were high (Cronbach a = 0.95 for ABQOL, a = 0.87 for TABQOL), (R = 0.98 for ABQOL, R = 0.86 for TABQOL). In convergent validity, the correlation of ABQOL and TABQOL was strong (R = 0.81), but low with objective disease activity scales. The strongest impact of AIBD on QOL has been observed in flares and in patients with the onset below 70 years of age. The patients with bullous pemphigoid had the highest QOL compared to other AIBD patients. Conclusions: The ABQOL and TABQOL are reliable and valid instruments for the assessment of QOL in AIBD. ß 2016 Medical University of Bialystok. Published by Elsevier Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author at: Department of Dermatology and Immunodermatol- ogy, Medical University of Warsaw, Str. Koszykowa 82a, Warsaw, Poland. Fax: +48 225022106. E-mail address: agnieszka.kalinska@interia.pl (A. Kalinska-Bienias). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Advances in Medical Sciences jo u rn al ho m epag e: ww w.els evier.c o m/lo cat e/advm s http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.advms.2016.07.002 1896-1126/ß 2016 Medical University of Bialystok. Published by Elsevier Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.