Sherly K, Divya S
Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital, Coimbatore, 641 014, India.
Department of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, SRMIST, Kattankulathur, 603 203, India.
Indian J Gastroenterol. 2024 Sep 11. doi: 10.1007/s12664-024-01662-7.
Swallowing intricately involves sensorimotor systems, pivotal for integrating upper digestive and respiratory functions. Dysphagia, challenging swallowing, often precipitates anxiety and depression, deeply affecting the quality of life (QOL). Understanding patient-centric symptoms is vital for assessing dysphagia's QOL impact.
This study aimed at developing and validating the Symptom Specific Dysphagia Quality of Life Questionnaire in Tamil (SSDQOL-T).
SSDQOL-T was developed in Tamil and underwent rigorous content validation. This questionnaire was administered to 120 normal individuals and 32 dysphagia patients, assessing various swallowing difficulties and their QOL impact.
Results indicate SSDQOL-T's good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.78). Significant differences in swallowing ability and QOL were noted across age groups, with older adults experiencing heightened symptoms. A high significance in mean score was obtained between healthy adults and dysphagia across all sub-domains with a 'p-value' of 0.0005. Symptoms that were found to have high significance were cough/gag reflex, regurgitation, odynophagia, globus sensation, heartburn and tiredness when compared between mechanical and degenerative dysphagia group. Strong correlations were found between SSDQOL-T scores and the Dysphagia Handicap Index in Tamil (r = 0.89).
The SSDQOL-T questionnaire provides a robust tool for evaluating dysphagia-related QOL in the Tamil-speaking population. Its validation underscores its clinical relevance and utility for understanding the multidimensional impact of dysphagia. This study emphasizes the importance of culturally sensitive assessment tools in comprehensively evaluating dysphagia's QOL implications.
吞咽复杂地涉及感觉运动系统，这对于整合上消化道和呼吸功能至关重要。吞咽困难，即具有挑战性的吞咽，常常引发焦虑和抑郁，严重影响生活质量（QOL）。了解以患者为中心的症状对于评估吞咽困难对生活质量的影响至关重要。
本研究旨在开发并验证泰米尔语版的特定症状吞咽生活质量问卷（SSDQOL-T）。
SSDQOL-T以泰米尔语开发，并经过严格的内容验证。该问卷被施用于120名正常个体和32名吞咽困难患者，以评估各种吞咽困难及其对生活质量的影响。
结果表明SSDQOL-T具有良好的内部一致性（克朗巴哈系数α = 0.78）。各年龄组在吞咽能力和生活质量方面存在显著差异，老年人症状更为严重。在所有子领域中，健康成年人与吞咽困难患者之间的平均得分具有高度显著性，“p值”为0.0005。在机械性和退行性吞咽困难组之间比较时，发现具有高度显著性的症状有咳嗽/ gag反射、反流、吞咽痛、球部感觉、烧心和疲劳。SSDQOL-T得分与泰米尔语版吞咽障碍残疾指数之间存在强相关性（r = 0.89）。
SSDQOL-T问卷为评估泰米尔语人群中与吞咽困难相关的生活质量提供了一个有力工具。其验证强调了其临床相关性以及对于理解吞咽困难多维影响的实用性。本研究强调了文化敏感评估工具在全面评估吞咽困难对生活质量影响方面的重要性。
