Creation and Validation of a Portuguese Version of the UCLA Scleroderma Clinical Trial Consortium Gastrointestinal Tract Instrument

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 14;20(2):1553. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20021553.

Abstract

(1) Background: The UCLA GIT 2.0 questionnaire has been recognized as a feasible and reliable instrument to assess gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients and their impact on quality of life. The aim of this study was to create and validate UCLA GIT 2.0 for Portuguese patients with SSc. (2) Methods: A multi-center study was conducted enrolling SSc patients. UCLA GIT 2.0 was validated in Portuguese using reliability (internal consistency, item -total correlation, and reproducibility) and validity (content, construct, and criterion) tests. Criterion tests included EQ-5D and SF-36v2. Social-demographic and clinical data were collected. (3) Results: 102 SSc patients were included, 82.4% of them female, and with a mean sample age of 57.0 ± 12.5 years old. The limited form of SSc was present in 62% of the patients and 56.9% had fewer than five years of disease duration. Almost 60% presented with SSc-GI involvement with a negative impact on quality of life. The means for SF-36v2 were 39.3 ± 10.3 in the physical component summary and 47.5 ± 12.1 in the mental component summary. Total GI score, reported as mild in 57.8% of the patients, was highly reliable (ICC = 0.912) and the Cronbach's alpha was 0.954. There was a high correlation between the total GI score and EQ-5D-5L and SF-36v2 scores. (4) Conclusion: The Portuguese version of UCLA GIT 2.0 showed good psychometric properties and can be used in research and clinical practice.

Keywords: UCLA GIT 2.0; gastrointestinal tract; quality of life; systemic sclerosis.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Female
  • Gastrointestinal Diseases* / diagnosis
  • Gastrointestinal Diseases* / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Portugal
  • Psychometrics
  • Quality of Life
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Scleroderma, Systemic* / diagnosis
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding. CEISUC/CIBB is funded by national funds through FCT Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., under the Multiannual Financing of R&D Units 2020–2023.