Developing diagnostic criteria for psoriasis in children
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN98851260 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN98851260 |
| Protocol serial number | 220116 |
| Sponsor | University of Nottingham |
| Funder | National Institute for Health Research |
- Submission date
- 24/10/2017
- Registration date
- 07/11/2017
- Last edited
- 30/12/2021
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Psoriasis is a skin condition that can cause red, flaky patches on any part of the body including the face, scalp, hands and genitals. Children and young people with psoriasis can develop an inflammatory arthritis leading to swelling, discomfort and permanent joint damage. Psoriasis may also lead to obesity and long-term health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes. It is therefore important that psoriasis is diagnosed accurately and early, so that specific treatment and monitoring can be started. Psoriasis is often difficult to diagnose in children and young people. Research shows that up to nine in ten children with psoriasis are mistakenly diagnosed with other skin conditions by non-dermatologists. A group of experts in psoriasis from around the world have agreed a list of diagnostic criteria that are important for the diagnosis of psoriasis in children/young people. In this study, the agreed diagnostic criteria are tested in children/young people with psoriasis and children/young people with other skin conditions. This study assesses how well the criteria separate these two groups. The results are used to improve the diagnostic criteria by removing those that poorly predicted psoriasis.
Who can participate?
Children/young people, aged 0 to 18 with possible or confirmed psoriasis or a scaly inflammatory rash
What does the study involve?
Participants attend for one study visit lasting about 30 minutes. All participants undergo an assessment based on the 16 items agreed as important for the diagnosis of children and young people. The assessment includes a physical examination and clinical questioning. Demographic information and quality of life data are also collected. The assessment is undertaken by a trained research nurse or study investigator and the assessor, where possible, is unaware of the child’s/young person’s diagnosis. The first 40 participants recruited are assessed by two different assessors one after the other to test the variability of the diagnostic criteria. Additional information are collected from participants' medical records, including the confirmed dermatologist’s diagnosis, disease severity, duration of disease, and current skin medications.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The study does not involve any tests or medications, and will hopefully help children and young people to be diagnosed with psoriasis earlier and more accurately in the future. Participants in the study will have their skin closely looked at, including more private body areas such as the groin and bottom. The study does not change their individual medical treatment and will not improve their skin disease.
Where is the study run from?
The study takes place at children’s’ dermatology departments across the UK and is led from the University of Nottingham (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
August 2016 to August 2019
Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health Research (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Esther Burden-Teh
dipsoc@nottingham.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific
Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology
Kings Meadow Campus
University of Nottingham
Nottingham
NG7 2NR
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-0033-2836 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)115 84 68633 |
| dipsoc@nottingham.ac.uk |
Study information
| Primary study design | Observational |
|---|---|
| Study design | Multi-centre case-control diagnostic accuracy study with a nested sub-study |
| Secondary study design | Case-control study |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Developing diagnostic criteria for psoriasis in children and young people: a multi-centre case control study in paediatric dermatology clinics |
| Study acronym | DIPSOC |
| Study objectives | The best predictive diagnostic criteria can be developed from the consensus agreed diagnostic criteria using a multivariate model and will achieve a sensitivity and specificity of >70% with the fewest number of essential items. The benefit of developing diagnostic criteria for psoriasis in children will be to improve diagnosis by non-dermatologists such as GPs and paediatric rheumatologists. This will ensure children are referred to secondary care, receive psoriasis specific treatment and undergo monitoring for associated diseases (eg juvenile psoriatic arthritis) as per national guidelines (NICE 2012). Diagnostic criteria will also standardise disease definitions in studies; improving quality and permitting meta-analysis. This study will also investigate the performance of the diagnostic criteria in indeterminate psoriasis; providing preliminary information on whether the diagnostic criteria can help predict psoriasis in those with possible psoriasis. |
| Ethics approval(s) | East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee, 03/02/2017, ref: 17/EM/0035 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Psoriasis in children and young people |
| Intervention | All participants to undergo a diagnostic criteria assessment based on the 16 diagnostic items that the consensus study agreed as important for the diagnosis of children and young people. The assessment includes a physical examination and clinical questioning. Demographic information and quality of life data will also be collected. The assessment will be undertaken by a trained research nurse or study investigator and the assessor, where possible, will be unaware of the child’s/young person’s diagnosis. The first 40 participants recruited will be assessed by two different assessors consecutively to enable inter-observer variability of the diagnostic criteria to be evaluated. Additional information will be collected from the medical record. These data will include the confirmed dermatologist’s diagnosis (reference standard), disease severity, duration of disease, and current skin medications. |
| Intervention type | Not Specified |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Consensus agreed diagnostic criteria vs reference standard (dermatologist’s diagnosis). The presence or absence (binary) of each of the diagnostic criterion will be assessed by study investigators trained to undertake the diagnostic criteria assessment and blinded to the diagnosis of the participant. The threshold for diagnosis according to the consensus agreed diagnostic criteria has been determined through the consensus study. The diagnostic accuracy of the consensus agreed diagnostic criteria will be assessed using sensitivity and specificity. The best predictive diagnostic criteria will be developed using multivariate analysis and the decision to include individual criteria in the model will be based on the likelihood ratio. |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
1. The diagnostic performance of the consensus agreed diagnostic criteria and the best predictive criteria for plaque psoriasis (measured as per the primary objective); these criteria will be graphically presented and compared on Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves |
| Completion date | 31/08/2019 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Mixed |
|---|---|
| Age group | Child |
| Upper age limit | 18 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 320 |
| Total final enrolment | 348 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Cases: 1. Children/young people (0 to <18 years of age) 2. Confirmed diagnosis of plaque psoriasis by a dermatologist 3. Active disease at the time of assessment 4. Able to consent Controls: 1. Children/young people (0 to <18 years of age) 2. Confirmed diagnosis of a scaly inflammatory rash (excluding psoriasis and indeterminate psoriasis) by a dermatologist 3. Active disease at the time of assessment 4. Able to consent Indeterminate psoriasis: 1. Children/young people (0 to <18 years of age) 2. Diagnosis of indeterminate or possible psoriasis by a dermatologist 3. Active disease at the time of assessment 4. Able to consent and willing to receive a follow-up questionnaire after 24 months |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Children/young people with pustular psoriasis 2. Children/young people with erythrodermic psoriasis 3. Children/young people without a dermatologist’s diagnosis |
| Date of first enrolment | 25/10/2017 |
| Date of final enrolment | 29/03/2019 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
Study participating centre
Derby Road
Nottingham
Nottingham
NG7 2UH
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Stored in repository |
| IPD sharing plan | Current IPD sharing statement as of 08/03/2021: The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study will be stored in Nottingham Research Data Management Repository (researchdata@nottingham.ac.uk) Type of data that will be shared: Excel workbook (.xlsx) comma-delimited (.csv) file of raw data with data dictionary When data will become available and for how long: Data will become available after publication and will be available for 7 years Access criteria: The researchers request that all researchers interested in using the DIPSOC study data to contact the Chief Investigator. Studies using the data for secondary analyses will be required to have obtained the necessary ethical approvals which will depend on their institution and local requirements. Was consent obtained: Consent was obtained from participants at entry into the study for data to be shared anonymously with other researchers Comments on data anonymisation: Data has been anonymised by removal of all participant identifiable information Previous IPD sharing statement Anonymised participant-level data will be made available on request. The data will be held at the University of Nottingham. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | 03/09/2021 | 30/12/2021 | Yes | No | |
| Protocol article | protocol | 27/08/2019 | 02/09/2020 | Yes | No |
| HRA research summary | 28/06/2023 | No | No | ||
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
| Study website | Study website | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
30/12/2021: Publication reference added.
22/10/2021: Internal review.
08/03/2021: IPD sharing statement added.
23/02/2021: The intention to publish date was changed from 01/08/2020 to 01/05/2021.
02/09/2020: Publication reference added.
09/09/2019: The following changes were made:
1. The recruitment end date was changed from 31/08/2019 to 29/03/2019.
2. The total final enrolment was added.
