Development of the Arabic version of Reflux Symptom Index.
OBJECTIVE
Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), is a nine-item self-administered questionnaire. It is a noninvasive tool with the purpose of assessing the symptoms of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). The purposes of the present study were to develop an Arabic version of the RSI and to evaluate its validity, consistency, and reliability in normal Arabic population with suspected LPR.


METHODS
This is a prospective study that has been carried out at Communication and Swallowing Disorders Unit, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.


METHODS
The generated Arabic RSI was administered to 52 patients with suspected LPR and to 100 control subjects. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated. The results of the patients and the control groups were compared.


RESULTS
The Arabic RSI showed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's α=.72). Also, good test-retest reliability was found for the total scores of the Arabic RSI (r=0.9799, P=0.001). There was a significant difference between RSI scores of the control and the LPR group (P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated that Arabic RSI is a valid tool for self-assessment of LPR that can be used by Arabic language speakers.
Department of ENT, Communication and Swallowing Disorders Unit, College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mohamed
M
Farahat
Khalid H
KH
Malki
Tamer A
TA
Mesallam
D000328:Adult; D018912:Arabs; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D057045:Laryngopharyngeal Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires