BACKGROUND: The "Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire - Adult Form" (FAQLQ-AF) is the first freely available questionnaire for the assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQL) in adults with food allergy (FA). We present validation data for the German version as well as data on HRQL in patients with birch pollen-associated FA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Dutch FAQLQ-AF (scale from 1-7, no impairment - maximum impairment) was translated into German. Subsequently, 73 consecutive patients with a history of birch pollen-associated FA (52 women, median age 43 years) were surveyed using questions regarding triggers and symptoms of their FA as well as questions contained in the FAQLQ-AF. Construct validity, internal consistency, and discriminative ability were analyzed. RESULTS: The foods most frequently reported to elicit allergic reactions included apple (78%), hazelnut (75%), soy drinks (55%), and carrot (52%). Thirty percent of patients exclusively reported symptoms consistent with oral allergy syndrome (OAS). Sixty-four percent reported OAS combined with systemic symptoms, and only 6% were exclusively affected by non-OAS symptoms. The German FAQLQ-AF showed good construct validity (correlation with the food allergy-independent measure: r = 0.81; p < 0.001) and excellent internal consistency (Cronbachs α = 0.98). The mean overall FAQLQ-AF score was 3.7. Women, elderly individuals, and those with multiple relevant food allergies showed a greater impairment of HRQL. CONCLUSIONS: The German FAQLQ-AF questionnaire is a reliable and valid tool for measuring HRQL in patients with birch pollen-associated food allergy.
BACKGROUND: The "Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire - Adult Form" (FAQLQ-AF) is the first freely available questionnaire for the assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQL) in adults with food allergy (FA). We present validation data for the German version as well as data on HRQL in patients with birch pollen-associated FA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Dutch FAQLQ-AF (scale from 1-7, no impairment - maximum impairment) was translated into German. Subsequently, 73 consecutive patients with a history of birch pollen-associated FA (52 women, median age 43 years) were surveyed using questions regarding triggers and symptoms of their FA as well as questions contained in the FAQLQ-AF. Construct validity, internal consistency, and discriminative ability were analyzed. RESULTS: The foods most frequently reported to elicit allergic reactions included apple (78%), hazelnut (75%), soy drinks (55%), and carrot (52%). Thirty percent of patients exclusively reported symptoms consistent with oral allergy syndrome (OAS). Sixty-four percent reported OAS combined with systemic symptoms, and only 6% were exclusively affected by non-OAS symptoms. The German FAQLQ-AF showed good construct validity (correlation with the food allergy-independent measure: r = 0.81; p < 0.001) and excellent internal consistency (Cronbachs α = 0.98). The mean overall FAQLQ-AF score was 3.7. Women, elderly individuals, and those with multiple relevant food allergies showed a greater impairment of HRQL. CONCLUSIONS: The German FAQLQ-AF questionnaire is a reliable and valid tool for measuring HRQL in patients with birch pollen-associated food allergy.
Authors: Nicolette W de Jong; Severina Terlouw; Frank E van Boven; M S van Maaren; Marco W J Schreurs; Dianne B P M van den Berg-Somhorst; Diederik Esser; Shanna Bastiaan-Net Journal: Nutrients Date: 2021-04-18 Impact factor: 5.717
Authors: R Treudler; A Franke; A Schmiedeknecht; B K Ballmer-Weber; M Worm; T Werfel; U Jappe; T Biedermann; J Schmitt; R Brehler; A Kleinheinz; J Kleine-Tebbe; H Brüning; F Ruëff; J Ring; J Saloga; K Schäkel; T Holzhauser; St Vieths; J C Simon Journal: Clin Transl Allergy Date: 2016-11-07 Impact factor: 5.871