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Validation of the Urticaria Control Test (UCT) in Children With Chronic Urticaria
Connor Prosty1, Sofianne Gabrielli2, Pasquale Mule3
1Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Insights
The Urticaria Control Test (UCT) is a valid tool for assessing chronic urticaria (CU) in children. This validated UCT effectively measures disease control and quality of life in pediatric CU patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Dermatology
- Clinical Trial Methodology
- Quality of Life Assessment
Background:
- Validated tools for evaluating pediatric chronic urticaria (CU) control are scarce.
- The Urticaria Control Test (UCT) shows promise but requires validation in pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the validity of the Urticaria Control Test (UCT) for evaluating pediatric chronic urticaria (CU).
Main Methods:
- Children with CU completed the UCT and Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI).
- Internal consistency, convergent validity, known-groups validity, and screening accuracy of the UCT were evaluated using the CDLQI as an anchor.
- Assessments were conducted at study entry and follow-up.
Main Results:
- The UCT demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.73).
- Strong correlation between UCT and CDLQI scores (r = -0.74, P < .01) indicates convergent validity.
- Excellent screening accuracy for poorly controlled CU (AUC = 0.82) with an optimal cutoff ≤10.
Conclusions:
- The UCT is a validated instrument for assessing pediatric CU and chronic spontaneous urticaria.
- The test shows acceptable internal consistency, convergent validity, and screening accuracy.
- The UCT is reliable across multiple time points and in subgroup analyses.
Background:
Few validated tools exist to evaluate chronic urticaria (CU) control in children. Although the Urticaria Control Test (UCT) exhibits favorable clinometric properties in adult CU, it is not yet validated in children.
Objective:
To evaluate the validity of the UCT for the assessment of pediatric CU.
Methods:
Children presenting with CU were consecutively recruited and completed both the UCT and the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) at study entry. Using the CDLQI as an anchor, we assessed the internal consistency, convergent and known-groups validity, and screening accuracy of the UCT at study entry and at follow-up.
Results:
A total of 52 children with CU were recruited. The UCT exhibited respectable internal consistency in the evaluation of CU (Cronbach's α, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.62-0.85). UCT and CDLQI scores strongly correlated (r = -0.74; P < .01). The UCT distinguished between different strata of disease severities established by the CDLQI (P < .01). Screening accuracy of the UCT was excellent in the discrimination of poorly controlled CU (area under the curve, 0.82). An optimal cutoff of less than or equal to 10 was determined for defining poorly controlled CU (sensitivity, 95.5%; specificity, 63.3%). Data at follow-up were consistent with data at study entry. Subgroup analyses of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria were consistent with overall estimates of validity.
Conclusions:
The UCT is a valid tool for the assessment of pediatric CU and chronic spontaneous urticaria, as evidenced by the acceptable internal consistency, convergent and known-groups validity, and screening accuracy at multiple time points.
