The Ichthyosis Scoring System (ISS) is reliable for measuring global ichthyosis severity in children and adults, according to a study published online Feb. 16 in JAMA Dermatology .

Qisi Sun, M.D., from the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues created and evaluated a comprehensive instrument to measure total body ichthyosis severity in adults and children. Using photographs of participants with ichthyosis, an 83-image teaching set was created. All test photographs were scored by two cohorts of dermatologists (11 dermatologists) to assess interrater and intrarater reliabilities. Creation of the ISS included participants of all ages, races, and ethnicities; raters had varying experience and areas of expertise.

The researchers found that the intraclass correlation coefficients for total, scale, and erythema scores were greater than 0.90, greater than 0.91, and greater than 0.88, respectively, across both cohorts of 11 dermatologists. Moderate to good interrater reliabilities were exhibited by most body sites for scale and erythema. Good to excellent intrarater reliabilities were observed.

"Scales, such as the ISS, that can reliably and accurately capture disease severity play an important role as outcomes in these studies," writes the author of an accompanying editorial. "They will enable us to differentiate what treatments provide meaningful clinical benefits for patients with ichthyoses and facilitate comparative effectiveness studies."

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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