A validated symptoms questionnaire (Chinese GERDQ) for the diagnosis of gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease in the Chinese population

Summary Background and aims: To develop a validated gastro‐oesophageal disease (GERD) symptom questionnaire for the Chinese population. Methods: One hundred Chinese patients with GERD and 101 healthy Chinese controls were presented with a 20‐item GERD questionnaire in the Chinese language (Chinese GERDQ). Quality of life in GERD patients was assessed by SF‐36. A standard dose of proton pump inhibitors for 4 weeks was prescribed to 35 patients with newly diagnosed GERD. The Chinese GERDQ was performed before, 4 weeks and 8 weeks after treatment. Concept, content, construct, discriminant validity and reliability of the questionnaire were assessed. Results: Seven items were selected by logistic regression to account for most of the differences between controls and GERD patients with a good reproducibility and internal consistency. A cut‐off score of equal or greater than 12 was determined to discriminate between controls and GERD patients with a sensitivity of 82% and a specificity of 84%. The Chinese GERDQ correlated negatively with five domains of the SF‐36 and discriminated between GERD patients who reported symptomatic improvement during proton pump inhibitor treatment and symptoms deterioration upon withdrawal of proton pump inhibitor treatment. Conclusions: The Chinese GERDQ could be used in epidemiological studies to assess the frequency and severity of GERD in patient populations and in interventional studies of GERD.