Publications

Oral Presentation accepted for the European Society for Dermatology and Psychiatry Congress, Giessen, Germany.

50. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft 2019 (invited talk): MS08/03

50. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft 2019 (invited talk): AKS17/01

50. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft 2019 (invited talk): MS26/02

Front Pediatr. 2019;7:164

Aside from clinical endpoints like height gain, health-related quality of life has also become an important outcome indicator in the medical field. However, the data on short stature and health-related quality of life is inconsistent. Therefore, we examined changes in health-related quality of life in German children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency or children born small for gestational age before and after 12 months of human growth hormone treatment. Children with idiopathic short stature without treatment served as a comparison group. At baseline, health-related quality of life data of 154 patients with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (n = 65), born small for gestational age (n = 58), and idiopathic short stature (n = 31) and one parent each was collected. Of these, 130 completed health-related quality of life assessments after 1-year of human growth hormone treatment. Outcome measures included the Quality of Life in Short Stature Youth questionnaire, as well as clinical and sociodemographic data. Our results showed that the physical, social, and emotional health-related quality of life of children treated with human growth hormone significantly increased, while untreated patients with idiopathic short stature reported a decrease in these domains. Along with this, a statistically significant increase in height in the treated group can be observed, while the slight increase in the untreated group was not significant. In conclusion, the results showed that human growth hormone treatment may have a positive effect not only on height but also in improving patient-reported health-related quality of life of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency and children born small for gestational age.

J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2019;32(3):215-24

Background The Quality of Life in Short Stature Youth (QoLISSY) questionnaire is a condition-specific instrument for measuring the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in short statured children/adolescents from patients' and parents' perspectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Greek version of the QoLISSY questionnaire. 

J Endocrinol Invest. 2019

Little attention has been directed towards examining the impact of predictors on change in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) within the course of growth hormone (GH) treatment in pediatric short stature. We aimed to assess changes in HRQOL and its sociodemographic, clinical and psychosocial predictors in children and adolescents diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency (GHD), and born short for gestational age (SGA) before and 12-month after start of GH treatment from the parents' perspective. Results were compared with an untreated group with idiopathic short stature (ISS). In this prospective multicenter study, 152 parents of children/adolescents (aged 4-18 years) provided data on their children's HRQOL at baseline and at 12-month follow-up.

Br J Dermatol. 2019 Aug;181(2):358-365

Different phenotypes have been described in psoriasis. Few details are known about the topology of patients in routine care.

Objectives: To characterize the frequency and distribution of body sites affected by psoriasis in Germany.

Qual Life Res. 2019

This meta-analytic review aimed to estimate the magnitude of health-related quality of life (HrQoL) impairments, as assessed by the KIDSCREEN questionnaires, both self- and parent-reported, in 8- to 18-years-old children/adolescents with chronic health conditions.

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2019 Nov;33(11):2029-2038

Many patients with a visible chronic skin disease experience discrimination and stigmatization. This results in psychosocial impairments in addition to the burden of disease and emphasizes the urgency to implement effective stigma-reduction strategies. To synthesize what is known globally about effective interventions to reduce stigma associated with visible chronic skin diseases, a systematic review was conducted. Four electronic databases were searched until May 2018. Studies evaluating interventions to reduce stigmatization in patients with visible chronic skin diseases and applying at least one stigma-related outcome measure were included. Data were extracted on study design, country, study population, outcome measures and main findings. Results were subsequently synthesized in a narrative review. Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tools were used to assess study quality. Nineteen studies were included in the review. Study design was very heterogeneous and study quality rather poor. Thirteen studies addresses patients with leprosy in low- and middle-income countries, and one study each targeted patients with onychomycosis, leg ulcer, facial disfigurement, atopic dermatitis, vitiligo and alopecia. Evaluated interventions were mainly multi-faceted incorporating more than one type of intervention. While 10 studies focused on the reduction in self-stigma and 4 on the reduction in public stigma, another 5 studies aimed at reducing both. The present review revealed a lack of high-quality studies on effective approaches to reduce stigmatization of patients with visible chronic skin diseases. Development and evaluation of intervention formats to adequately address stigma is essential to promote patients' health and well-being.