title: Dyspnea descriptors translated from English to Portuguese: application in obese patients and in patients with cardiorespiratory diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the usefulness of descriptive terms applied to the sensation of dyspnea (dyspnea descriptors) that were developed in English and translated to Brazilian Portuguese in patients with four distinct clinical conditions that can be accompanied by dyspnea.
  
  
  METHODS
  We translated, from English to Brazilian Portuguese, a list of 15 dyspnea descriptors reported in a study conducted in the USA. Those 15 descriptors were applied in 50 asthma patients, 50 COPD patients, 30 patients with heart failure, and 50 patients with class II or III obesity. The three best descriptors, as selected by the patients, were studied by cluster analysis. Potential associations between the identified clusters and the four clinical conditions were also investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The use of this set of descriptors led to a solution with nine clusters, designated expiração (exhalation), fome de ar (air hunger), sufoco (suffocating), superficial (shallow), rápido (rapid), aperto (tight), falta de ar (shortness of breath), trabalho (work), and inspiração (inhalation). Overlapping of the descriptors was quite common among the patients, regardless of their clinical condition. Asthma, COPD, and heart failure were significantly associated with the inspiração cluster. Heart failure was also associated with the trabalho cluster, whereas obesity was not associated with any of the clusters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study sample, the application of dyspnea descriptors translated from English to Portuguese led to the identification of distinct clusters, some of which were similar to those identified in a study conducted in the USA. The translated descriptors were less useful than were those developed in Brazil regarding their ability to generate significant associations among the clinical conditions investigated here.
authors: Department of Clinical Medicine, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine – Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
authors: Christiane Aires
authors: CA
authors: Teixeira
authors: Antonio Luiz
authors: AL
authors: Rodrigues Júnior
authors: Luciana Cristina
authors: LC
authors: Straccia
authors: Elcio Dos Santos Oliveira
authors: Edos S
authors: Vianna
authors: Geruza Alves da
authors: GA
authors: Silva
authors: José Antônio Baddini
authors: JA
authors: Martinez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology; D001938:Brazil; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology; D012143:Respiratory Physiological Phenomena; D012677:Sensation; D013358:Subject Headings; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D014177:Translations