[Reliability and validity of the German version of the Glasgow Edinburgh Throat Scale].

Abstract

Background: Many patients who consult the ENT doctor suffer from globus sensation, as a term for a multifactorial symptom description. It is particularly important during initial consultation to take the often-sensitive patients seriously and to offer a structured diagnostic clarification. Today, there is a lack of a screening tool in everyday clinical practice that can be used to differentiate the globus sensations more closely and assess their severity OBJECTIVES: The reliability and validity of the German version of the Glasgow Edinburgh Throat Scale (GETS) were examined.

Materials und methods: The original GETS questionnaire was translated into German (GETS-G) and completed by 60 patients with globus sensation (>3 months) in a prospective observational study. All patients received a clinical examination a sonography of the neck. In patients without an identifiable organic cause, a pH monitoring was carried out.

Results: A local organic cause for the globus sensation was found in 30 patients (50%). In addition, reflux was detected in 24 patients (40%) using pH monitoring. No cause could be determined in only 6 patients (10%). According to the overall score (Q1-Q12), there was no significant difference between these three groups. The Cronbach's alpha for assessing reliability was 0.88 in the 12-item analysis. Principal component analysis yielded a globus scale, dysphagia scale and a chronic pharyngeal irritation scale.

Conclusions: The GETS-G showed high reliability and validity, which justifies its use in patients with globus sensation in German-speaking countries and may lead to a better assessment of the severity of this symptom.