The Newcastle Laryngeal Hypersensitivity Questionnaire: Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation to the Arabic Language.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to validate and assess the reliability of the Arabic version of the Newcastle Laryngeal Hypersensitivity Questionnaire (LHQ) as a self-reported questionnaire for patients with laryngeal hypersensitivity syndrome (LHS).

Study design: A prospective, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted in the ear, nose and throat Department of Kafr Elsheikh University Hospitals.

Methods: The preliminary Arabic version of the LHQ (LHQ-Ar) was created using a rigorous forward and backward translation method. Native Arabic-speaking patients visiting outpatient pulmonology, speech pathology, and ear, nose and throat clinics in this tertiary referral center were invited to participate. Participants were divided into two groups: group 1, comprising patients with LHS, and group 2, consisting of healthy controls. All participants completed the LHQ-Ar questionnaire twice, with a two-week interval, to assess test-retest reliability. Additionally, LHS patients completed the Arabic Voice Handicap Index-10 to examine correlations with LHQ-Ar scores. The LHQ-Ar underwent rigorous testing for internal consistency, reliability, validity, sensitivity, and specificity to establish it as a validated patient questionnaire.

Results: The KMO test (KMO = 0.955) and Bartlett's test (P < 0.001) confirmed the sample's adequacy. The analysis identified only one factor with an eigenvalue greater than one, which explained 63.4% of the total variance. Items 13 (0.372) and 14 (0.306), which had commonalities below 0.5, were excluded. The final model, consisting of 12 items, accounted for 68.7% of the variance. Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.933 to 0.988 for individual items and 0.995 for the total score, indicating excellent internal consistency.

Conclusion: The Arabic version of the Newcastle LHQ (LHQ-Ar) proves to be a reliable and valid tool for assessing LHS in Arabic-speaking populations. The LHQ-Ar shows strong internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and good sensitivity and specificity in predicting LHS, thus making it a valuable instrument for clinical use and research in Arabic-speaking patients.