Study objectives: Dyspnea is most commonly assessed by questioning pat
ients about their subjective perception of shortness of breath during
physical exertion. Although speech production is altered by pulmonary
disease, it has not been included in current dyspnea assessment tools.
A questionnaire was developed to address reports of dyspnea during (1
) physical activity, (2) speech activity, and (3) simultaneous speech
and physical activity. Design: An equal number of self- and experiment
er-administered 30-item questionnaires was given to 203 patients with
restrictive and obstructive pulmonary diseases. Their responses were a
nalyzed statistically. Results: The questionnaire had high internal co
nsistency for individual items within each of the three sections. The
sections were highly correlated but provided separate and distinct inf
ormation. Factors extracted from each section were related to severity
of dyspnea. Pairwise t tests demonstrated highly significant differen
ces in subject responses to the three sections. The least dyspnea was
experienced during speech activities, more during physical activities,
and the most when speech and physical activities were combined. Concl
usions: The questionnaire proved to be a quickly administered tool for
providing information about the effect of dyspnea on activities of da
ily living. Because of the emphasis on dyspnea during speech productio
n, it may be particularly useful for assessing patients who rely exten
sively on speaking ability for their livelihood.