<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>The CLASI is a reliable outcome measure for cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) in adults used in clinical trials. However, it has not been validated in children, limiting clinical trials for pediatric CLE.</p>
<p><strong>OBJECTIVE: </strong>This study aims to validate the CLASI in pediatrics.</p>
<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>Eleven pediatric patients with CLE, six dermatologists and six rheumatologists, participated. Physicians were trained to use the CLASI and Physician Global Assessment (PGA). Physicians individually rated all patients using both tools. Each physician reassessed two randomly selected patients. Within each physician group, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was calculated to assess the reliability of each measure.</p>
<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>CLASI activity scores demonstrated excellent inter- and intra-rater reliability (ICC>0.90), while the PGA activity scores had good inter-rater reliability (ICC 0.73-0.77) among both specialties. PGA activity scores showed excellent intra-rater reliability (ICC=0.89) and good intra-rater reliability (ICC=0.76) for dermatologists and rheumatologists, respectively.</p>
<p><strong>LIMITATIONS: </strong>Limitations of this study included the small sample size of patients and potential recall bias during the physician re-rating session.</p>
<p><strong>CONCLUSION: </strong>CLASI activity measurement showed excellent inter- and intra-rater reliability in pediatric CLE and superiority to findings with the PGA. These results demonstrate that the CLASI is a reliable and valid outcome instrument for pediatric CLE. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.</p>