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DLQI Calculator (Dermatology Life Quality Index)

Score the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) — 10 questions on how a skin condition affected you over the last week — total 0–30 with the effect on quality of life from no effect to extremely large.

Itchy, sore, painful or stinging skin (last week)

Embarrassed or self-conscious because of your skin (last week)

Skin got in the way of shopping or looking after your home or garden (last week)

Skin influenced the clothes you wore (last week)

Skin affected social or leisure activities (last week)

Skin made it difficult to do any sport (last week)

Skin stopped you working or studying, or was a problem at work or study (last week)

Skin caused problems with your partner, close friends or relatives (last week)

Skin caused any sexual difficulties (last week)

Skin treatment was a problem (messy, time-consuming, untidy home) (last week)

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How it works

DLQI = sum of 10 items scored 3 (very much), 2 (a lot), 1 (a little), 0 (not at all / not relevant). Item 7: prevented work or study = 3; otherwise a lot = 2, a little = 1, not at all = 0. Range 0–30. Bands: 0–1 no effect, 2–5 small, 6–10 moderate, 11–20 very large, 21–30 extremely large effect.

The Dermatology Life Quality Index (Finlay & Khan, Clinical and Experimental Dermatology 1994) is the most widely used quality-of-life measure in dermatology, covering symptoms, embarrassment, daily activities, leisure, work, relationships and treatment burden over the last 7 days. The score bands come from Hongbo et al. (J Invest Dermatol 2005). The questions here are paraphrased; the official questionnaire is copyright of the authors and Cardiff University and should be used in its validated form for formal assessment.

Worked example

Answers of a lot for itch (2) and a little for embarrassment, shopping or housework, clothes, social activities, work and treatment (1 each), with not at all for sport, relationships and sex, add up to a DLQI score of 8 / 30 — a moderate effect on quality of life (6–10).

Sources: Finlay AY, Khan GK — Dermatology Life Quality Index (Clin Exp Dermatol 1994) · Hongbo Y et al. — What do Dermatology Life Quality Index scores mean? (J Invest Dermatol 2005) · Cardiff University — DLQI

Frequently asked questions

What is a high DLQI score?

Above 10 means a very large effect on quality of life and above 20 an extremely large effect. In psoriasis, a DLQI above 10 is one of the “rule of tens” markers of severe disease.

How should “not relevant” be scored?

Not relevant scores 0, the same as not at all. If more than one question is left unanswered, the questionnaire is not scored; one missing item is scored 0.

What change in DLQI is meaningful?

A change of about 4 points is the commonly cited minimal clinically important difference in inflammatory skin disease.

Is there a version for children?

Yes — the Children’s Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) for ages 4–16, which has different questions and bands.

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Clinical decision tool for education and for use by trained clinicians alongside clinical judgement — not a diagnosis and not a substitute for medical assessment. Formulas and cut-offs come from the cited sources; local protocols may differ.