The GA2LEN survey for chronic rhinosinusitis prevalence studies: Arabic translation, cultural adaptation, and validation

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common disease that significantly impacts quality of life. Its prevalence varies between different geographical areas. This study aimed to validate the Arabic version of the EPOS criteria in the GA2LEN questionnaire to use it as a tool to estimate the prevalence of CRS in Arab countries. Methods: This is multicentric cross-sectional validation study. The original English EPOS criteria used in the GA2LEN survey (four main questions and two additional questions) were translated into Arabic. The study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital – Riyadh and Qatif Central Hospital – Qatif in the period between October 2020 and August 2021. Groups of CRS and non-CRS patients were selected randomly from databases of the hospital and asked to participate in the study through phone calls. Sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values were calculated for the Arabic questionnaire. Results: Of 200 subjects contacted to complete the questionnaire, 128 agreed to participate and completed the survey. The Arabic version of the GA2LEN questionnaire was found to be reliable with high sensitivity and specificity. The reliability of the questionnaire increased when we added the question, “Has a doctor ever told you that you have chronic sinusitis?” to the main four questions. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 93.9%, 59.6%, 71.25%, and 90.2%, respectively. Conclusions: The Arabic version of the EPOS criteria in the GA2LEN questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for epidemiological studies to estimate the prevalence of CRS.