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A validation study of the Italian Short-Form Leeds Dyspepsia Questionnaire

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Abstract

Assessment of symptoms should be one of the main outcome measures in dyspepsia clinical trials. This requires a reliable, valid and responsive questionnaire that measures the frequency and severity of dyspeptic symptoms. The Short-Form Leeds Dyspepsia Questionnaire (SF-LDQ) has been proven to fulfil these criteria in its original version in the English language. The aim of the study was to assess the internal consistency, reliability, validity and responsiveness of the Italian version of the SF-LDQ in primary and secondary care. Unselected primary and secondary care patients completed the Italian version of the SF-LDQ. Test–retest reliability was assessed after 2 days. Validity was measured by comparison with diagnosis made by physicians. Responsiveness was determined before and after treatment for endoscopically proven disease. The SF-LDQ was administered to 311 patients in primary care and 179 in secondary care patients. Internal consistency, as judged by the Cronbach’s α, was 0.90. Pearson’s correlation coefficient for test–retest reliability was 0.92. The SF-LDQ had a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 82%. A highly significant response to change was also observed (p = 0.001). The Italian SF-LDQ is a reliable, valid and responsive self-completed outcome measure for quantifying the frequency and severity of dyspeptic symptoms.

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Conflict of interest

Dino Vaira has stock options (other than mutual funds) in Meridian Bioscience. Other authors have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit, Versilia Hospital, Lido di Camaiore, Italy

    Luigi Gatta, Paolo Lucarini & Maurizio Lera

  2. Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Clinical Science, University of Parma, Via Gramsci, 14, 43100, Parma, Italy

    Luigi Gatta & Francesco Di Mario

  3. Health Sciences Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Paul Moayyedi

  4. NHS, Porretta Terme, Italy

    Cesare Tosetti

  5. School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

    Nimish Vakil

  6. NHS, San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy

    Enzo Ubaldi

  7. NHS, Viareggio, Italy

    Patrizia Barsanti

  8. Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Giulia Fiorini, Valentina Castelli & Dino Vaira

  9. NHS, Rome, Italy

    Carlo Gargiulo

  10. Department of Internal Medicine, Aging and Kidney Disease, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Enkleda Kajo

Authors
  1. Luigi Gatta
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  2. Paul Moayyedi
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  3. Cesare Tosetti
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  4. Nimish Vakil
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  5. Enzo Ubaldi
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  7. Giulia Fiorini
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  8. Valentina Castelli
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  9. Carlo Gargiulo
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  10. Paolo Lucarini
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  11. Maurizio Lera
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  12. Enkleda Kajo
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  13. Francesco Di Mario
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  14. Dino Vaira
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Correspondence to Luigi Gatta.

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Gatta, L., Moayyedi, P., Tosetti, C. et al. A validation study of the Italian Short-Form Leeds Dyspepsia Questionnaire. Intern Emerg Med 5, 501–506 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-010-0467-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-010-0467-5

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