Healthcare & Clinical Calculations
DLQI (Dermatology Life Quality Index 0–30) Hongbo Banding Calculator
Score Andrew Finlay and Gul Karim Khan’s 10-question Dermatology Life Quality Index (0–30 points) using Hongbo clinical severity bands and the NICE/EADV DLQI > 10 biologic "Rule of Tens" threshold.
Why localized palm, scalp, or facial psoriasis with low PASI still qualifies for biologics via DLQI > 10!
Body-surface tools like PASI can underestimate devastating skin disease on the palms, soles, nails, scalp, or face (< 5% BSA)—which can still prevent a patient from typing, walking, sleeping, or socializing! Andrew Y. Finlay and Gul Karim Khan (Clinical and Experimental Dermatology 1994) created the 10-question Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI, each item scored 0 = Not at all / Not relevant, 1 = A little, 2 = A lot, 3 = Very much over the past 7 days -> 0–30 total) across psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and chronic spontaneous urticaria!
Hongbo et al. (Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2005) established the five clinical DLQI impact bands: 0–1 = No effect at all on patient’s life, 2–5 = Small effect, 6–10 = Moderate effect, 11–20 = Very large effect, and 21–30 = Extremely large effect! Under Finlay’s celebrated "Rule of Tens" (BSA > 10% OR PASI > 10 OR DLQI > 10) adopted by NICE and EADV guidelines, a DLQI > 10 (>= 11 points) independently establishes severe quality-of-life impairment warranting systemic/biologic escalation, with a Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) of >= 4 points!
| Total DLQI Score (0–30 Points) | Hongbo Validated QoL Band | Rule of Tens / Biologic Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 Points / 2–5 Points | No Effect / Small Effect on Life | Topical Therapy Adequately Controlling QoL |
| 6–10 Points | Moderate Effect on Patient’s Life | Optimize Phototherapy / Conventional Regimen |
| 11–20 (e.g., 15) / 21–30 Points | Very Large / Extremely Large Effect | Meets DLQI > 10 Severe Biologic Criterion! |
Total 10-Item Dermatology Life Quality Index (0–30 Points)
Validates that all ten 7-day recall items B2:B11 lie in [0, 3] before summing.
=IF(OR(COUNT(B2:B11) < 10, MIN(B2:B11) < 0, MAX(B2:B11) > 3), "Invalid DLQI Item (0-3)", SUM(B2:B11))Hongbo DLQI Impact Band & NICE / EADV Rule-of-Tens Flag
Maps 0–30 DLQI total across the five validated Hongbo bands and highlights DLQI > 10 severe impairment.
=IF(OR(COUNT(B2:B11) < 10, MIN(B2:B11) < 0, MAX(B2:B11) > 3), "Invalid DLQI Item (0-3)", IF(SUM(B2:B11) >= 21, "Extremely Large Effect on Life (DLQI 21-30) — Meets DLQI > 10 Severe Biologic Criterion", IF(SUM(B2:B11) >= 11, "Very Large Effect on Life (DLQI 11-20) — Meets DLQI > 10 Severe Biologic Criterion", IF(SUM(B2:B11) >= 6, "Moderate Effect on Patient’s Life (DLQI 6-10)", IF(SUM(B2:B11) >= 2, "Small Effect on Patient’s Life (DLQI 2-5)", "No Effect at All on Patient’s Life (DLQI 0-1)")))))Try the example
Use the original values or change them to test your understanding.