Quality of life of Greek patients with inflammatory bowel disease - Validation of the Greek translation of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire

Background/Aims: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important out come measure in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of our study is t o validate the Greek translation of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Question naire (IBDQ). For this we assessed its construct validity, discriminant abi lity, reliability and sensitivity to change. Methods: One hundred and fourt een patients with IBD (69 UC, 45 CD) completed the Greek version of the IBD Q, and a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for general well-being. Fifty-two pati ents also completed the SF-36. A subgroup of 46 patients completed the Gree k IBDQ for a second time. Clinical activity was assessed by Harvey-Bradshaw Index and Colitis Activity Index. Results: Correlation coefficients betwee n the four dimensional scores of the Greek IBDQ and the clinical activity i ndexes, VAS and the SF-36 were all reasonably high and statistically signif icant. The Greek IBDQ was able to discriminate well between groups of patie nts with either different clinical disease activity or subjective assessmen t of well-being. It also showed high reliability when it was repeated in pa tients who reported no change in their general well-being (intraclass corre lation coefficient 0.940-0.998). In contrast, there was a significant diffe rence between the baseline and the follow-up measurement in patients who re ported change in their general well-being. Conclusions:The Greek IBDQ prove d to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing HRQOL, useful in the evaluation of clinical trials or health surveys as well as in the therapeut ic management of IBD patients. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.