BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:

Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), is a nine-item self-administered questionnaire. It is a noninvasive tool with the purpose of assessing the symptoms of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). The purposes of the present study were to develop an Arabic version of the RSI and to evaluate its validity, consistency, and reliability in normal Arabic population with suspected LPR.

SETTING AND DESIGN:

This is a prospective study that has been carried out at Communication and Swallowing Disorders Unit, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS:

The generated Arabic RSI was administered to 52 patients with suspected LPR and to 100 control subjects. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated. The results of the patients and the control groups were compared.

RESULTS:

The Arabic RSI showed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's α=.72). Also, good test-retest reliability was found for the total scores of the Arabic RSI (r=0.9799, P=0.001). There was a significant difference between RSI scores of the control and the LPR group (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION:

This study demonstrated that Arabic RSI is a valid tool for self-assessment of LPR that can be used by Arabic language speakers.

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