BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease affects the quality of a patient's life in many ways, but no validated instrument for measuring disease-specific quality of life in these patients is available in Japan. We developed a Japanese version of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ), together with the author of the original English-language version. METHODS: Translation and cross-cultural adaptation followed an accepted process. The reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the IBDQ's four subscales were then assessed in a prospective cohort of Crohn's disease patients who underwent hospitalization. RESULTS: Internal consistency was acceptable for all four subscales. Concurrent validity (with the Short Form [SF]36 as a reference) was as expected. Scores on the IBDQ could be used to discriminate patient subgroups with different levels of disease activity. Responsiveness was comparable to that of the SF36. CONCLUSIONS: This Japanese version of the IBDQ is reliable, valid, and responsive for assessing disease-specific quality of life in patients with Crohn's disease.
BACKGROUND:Inflammatory bowel disease affects the quality of a patient's life in many ways, but no validated instrument for measuring disease-specific quality of life in these patients is available in Japan. We developed a Japanese version of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ), together with the author of the original English-language version. METHODS: Translation and cross-cultural adaptation followed an accepted process. The reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the IBDQ's four subscales were then assessed in a prospective cohort of Crohn's diseasepatients who underwent hospitalization. RESULTS: Internal consistency was acceptable for all four subscales. Concurrent validity (with the Short Form [SF]36 as a reference) was as expected. Scores on the IBDQ could be used to discriminate patient subgroups with different levels of disease activity. Responsiveness was comparable to that of the SF36. CONCLUSIONS: This Japanese version of the IBDQ is reliable, valid, and responsive for assessing disease-specific quality of life in patients with Crohn's disease.