Cross-Cultural Validation of the RECAP of Atopic Eczema Questionnaire in a Swedish Population

Abstract

A Swedish translation of the patient-reported outcome measure for assessing long-term control of atopic der-matitis, Recap of atopic eczema (RECAP), has not been validated. Cross-cultural translation and multi-centre validation of the translated RECAP questionnaire were therefore performed. Disease severity was assessed using the validated Investigator Global Assessment Scale for atopic dermatitis (vIGA-AD™). The Swedish RECAP was completed by 208 individuals aged 16 years or older with a median age of 36 years (inter-quartile range [IQR] 27–48). The participants consi-dered the questionnaire suitable for assessing eczema control. The median RECAP score (range 0–28) was 12 (IQR 5–19). The mean and median vIGA-AD™ scores (range 0–4) were 2 (standard deviation [SD] 2) and 3 (IQR 2–4), respectively. A correlation between RECAP and the vIGA-AD™ was observed (p < 0.001). There was no significant change in scores for participants who answered the questionnaire twice within 14 days. Over time, improved or worsened eczema, as evaluated by vIGA-AD™, affected RECAP scores significantly (p < 0.001). The study suggests that RECAP can assess AD control in a Swedish clinical setting and shows acceptable reliability.