ABSTRACT
Dyspnea is a distressing symptom experienced by people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]. The dyspnea-12 [D-12] questionnaire comprises of 12 items and assesses the quality of this symptom, its severity and the emotional response. The original [English] version of the D-12 is reliable and valid for the measurement of dyspnea in pulmonary diseases. To translate the D-12 into Arabic and determine whether this version is reliable and valid in Saudi nationals with COPD. The D-12 was translated into Arabic version and reviewed by an expert panel before being back-translated into English. The Arabic version was administered to five patients with COPD to test whether it was easily understood after which a final Arabic version was produced. Thereafter, 40 patients with COPD [aged 63 +/- 9 years; 33 [82.5%] males; forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV[1]] 47 +/- 16% predicted] completed the D-12, the COPD Assessment Test [CAT] and the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire [CRDQ]. Lung function and 6-minute walk distance were also measured. The D-12 was re-administered two weeks later. The Arabic version of the D-12 demonstrated good reliability over the two administration [intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.94, P= 0.01]. Strong associations were demonstrated between the [1] total score for the D-12 and the CAT, [2] quality sub-score of the D-12 and the CAT and [3] emotional response sub-score of the D-12 and emotional function domain of the CRDQ [r