Validation of the Japanese version of the Esophageal Hypervigilance and Anxiety Scale for esophageal symptoms.

Background: The Esophageal Hypervigilance and Anxiety Scale (EHAS) is an English questionnaire created in the USA to assess these factors in all patients with esophageal diseases. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Japanese version of EHAS and investigate the relationship between EHAS scores and symptoms in untreated disorders of esophagogastric junction (EGJ) outflow.

Methods: This prospective study recruited patients who underwent high-resolution manometry (HRM) at six tertiary centers in Japan. The EHAS was translated to Japanese using standard forward and backward translation methods. Patients completed the following questionnaires: the Japanese EHAS, Eckardt score, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for assessment of construct validity. Logistic regression analysis identified factors associated with esophageal symptom severity in untreated disorders of EGJ outflow.

Results: Overall, we analyzed 432 patients. Their main symptoms were dysphagia and reflux. The most common HRM diagnosis was normal (35.9%), followed by achalasia (29.4%). The Japanese EHAS demonstrated excellent reliability, and construct validity, with two subscales similar to the original EHAS. Total EHAS score moderately correlated to Eckardt score (r = 0.545, p < 0.001). In 113 patients with untreated disorders of EGJ outflow, multivariable analysis demonstrated that younger age, type II achalasia, and higher EHAS score were independently associated with higher Eckardt score.

Conclusions: The Japanese EHAS is a reliable and valid questionnaire. Its subscale scores can be used as in the original version with some caution. Future studies are warranted to assess the appropriateness of factor loading.