Validated questionnaire on diagnosis and symptom severity for functional constipation in the Chinese population

• Published in: Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics 2005-09, Vol.22 (5), p.483-488
• Main Authors: CHAN, A. O. O., LAM, K. F., HUI, W. M., HU, W. H., LI, J., LAI, K. C., CHAN, C. K., YUEN, M. F., LAM, S. K., WONG, B. C. Y.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Constipation - diagnosis; Digestive system; Female; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Other diseases. Semiology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Quality of Life; Sensitivity and Specificity; Stomach. Duodenum. Small intestine. Colon. Rectum. Anus; Surveys and Questionnaires - standards
• ISSN: 0269-2813; 1365-2036
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2005.02621.x

Summary Background : Functional constipation is a common problem in clinical practice. No validated questionnaire is available in Chinese. Aim : To develop a validated questionnaire for diagnosis and symptom assessment in functional constipation for the Chinese population. Methods : One hundred and eleven patients with constipation and 110 healthy controls were presented with a 24‐item constipation questionnaire in the Chinese language. Quality of life in constipation patients was assessed by Short Form‐36. Polyethylene glycol was prescribed, for 4 weeks, to 20 patients with newly diagnosed constipation. The questionnaire was administered before and 4 weeks after treatment. Concept, content, construct, discriminant validity and reliability of the questionnaire were assessed. Results : Six items were selected by logistic regression to account for most of the differences between controls and constipated patients with a good reproducibility and internal consistency. A cut‐off score of ≥5 was determined to discriminate between controls and constipated patients with a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 91%. The constipation questionnaire correlated negatively with seven domains of the Short Form‐36 and discriminated between constipated patients who reported symptomatic improvement during polyethylene glycol treatment. Conclusions : The Chinese constipation questionnaire could be used in epidemiological studies to assess the frequency and severity of constipation in patient populations and in interventional studies of constipation.