title: Development and evaluation of FSSG: frequency scale for the symptoms of GERD.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to produce a simplified questionnaire for evaluation of the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 124 patients with an endoscopic diagnosis of GERD completed a 50-part questionnaire, requiring only "yes" or "no" answers, that covered various symptoms related to the upper gastrointestinal tract, as well as psychosomatic symptoms. The 12 questions to which patients most often answered "yes" were selected, and were assigned scores (never = 0; occasionally = 1; sometimes = 2; often = 3; and always = 4) to produce a frequency scale for symptoms of GERD (FSSG). Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the FSSG questionnaire were evaluated in another group of patients with GERD and non-GERD. The usefulness of this questionnaire was evaluated in 26 other GERD patients who were treated with proton pump inhibitors for 8 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When the cutoff score was set at 8 points, the FSSG showed a sensitivity of 62%, a specificity of 59%, and an accuracy of 60%, whereas a cutoff score of 10 points altered these values to 55%, 69%, and 63%. The score obtained using the questionnaire correlated well with the extent of endoscopic improvement in patients with mild or severe GERD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This new questionnaire is useful for the objective evaluation of symptoms in GERD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endoscopy and Endoscopic Surgery, Gunma University Hospital, 3-39-15 Showamachi Maebashi, 371-8511 Gunma, Japan.
authors.forename: Motoyasu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kusano
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimoyama
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Minashi
authors.forename: Shiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuribayashi
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zai
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ino
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Horikoshi
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.forename: Munetoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toki
authors.forename: Tsuneo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohwada
authors.forename: Masatomo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
mesh_terms: D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires