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HEALTH WORKERS’ AGREEMENT IN CLINICAL DESCRIPTION OF FILARIAL LYMPHEDEMA

Severity of lymphedema and presence of entry lesions are risk factors for acute bacterial dermatolym-phangioadenitis (ADLA) in those with filarial lymphedema. Recurrent ADLA causes acute morbidity and progression of lymphedema severity; however, there is little work assessing the ability of health workers to reliably stage disease severity and identify risk entry lesions. This knowledge is important in initiation of management and assessing interventions. We evaluated inter-rater reliability with two independent health workers rating both legs of 17 patients using a questionnaire and the Dreyer classification of lymphedema. The health workers could reliably stage lymphedema with high agreement (RMAC weighted kappa of 0.89) and identify nail, interdigital, and other skin lesions. However, there was less consistency in identifying the clinical nature of skin lesions. This indicates that the Dreyer classification can be a replicable way to stage lymphedema and a questionnaire can deliver high observer agreement on the presence of risk lesions.

Received September 23, 2005. Accepted for publication November 8, 2005.

Acknowledgments: The authors thank David Addiss, Gerusa Dreyer, and Tom Nutman for comments on early versions of the manuscript. We are grateful to Brenda Rae Marshall (NIAID intramural editor).

Financial support: This work was supported by the Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health.

^* Address correspondence to Michael P. Fay, Biostatistics Research Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20892-7609. E-mail: mfay{at}niaid.nih.gov

Authors’ addresses: Tess McPherson, 25 Norham Road, Oxford, OX2 6sf, UK, Telephone: 01865 558743, E-mail: tessmcp{at}hotmail.com. Michael P. Fay, Biostatistic Research Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, Telephone: 301-451-5124, E-mail: mfay{at}niaid.nih.gov. Shanti Singh, Ministry of Health, Georgetown, Guyana. Rebecca Penzer, Independent Nurse Consultant, Opal Skin Solutions, Oxford, UK, Telephone: 44(0)1865 771507, E-mail: rpenzer{at}opalskin.co.uk. Rod Hay, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.

Reprint requests: Michael P. Fay, Biostatistics Research Branch, National Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20892-7609, E-mail: mfay{at}niaid.nih.gov.