Measurement properties of the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6™ Brazil) in primary and secondary headaches.

BACKGROUND: The Headache Impact Test-6™ is a widely recommended questionnaire to evaluate the impact of headaches. However, its measurement properties were never evaluated in both primary and secondary headaches, and the Brazilian Portuguese version of the questionnaire was never assessed at all. OBJECTIVE: To assess the reliability, and structural and construct validity of the Headache Impact Test-Brazil™ in patients with primary and secondary headaches. METHODS: In total, 132 patients with primary and secondary headaches were included, screened from a headache tertiary clinic. They completed the Headache Impact Test-Brazil™ questionnaire, the 12-Item Short-Form Survey (SF-12), and the Headache Disability Inventory-Brazil. Pearson's correlation analysis was performed among the three questionnaires for validity assessment. One to three weeks after the first application, the Headache Impact Test-Brazil™ was answered again by 67 patients for reliability assessment. RESULTS: The validity sample consisted of 86/132 (65.1%) patients with primary and 46/132 (34.9%) secondary headaches, with mean age of 39.6 (SD: 12.7) years. The reliability sample consisted of 39/67 (58.2%) patients with primary and 28/67 (41.8%) secondary headaches, with mean age of 36.8 (12.5) years. According to the confirmatory factor analysis, the Headache Impact Test-Brazil™ consists of single factor. Its internal consistency was α = 0.97 and the question number 3 had the lowest factor loading (0.31). The Headache Impact Test-Brazil™ exhibited a moderate correlation with both the SF-12 questionnaire (r = -0.64, 95%CI: -0.72 to -0.52, p = 0.001) and the Headache Disability Inventory-Brazil (r = 0.67, 95%CI: 0.56 to 0.75, p = 0.001). The correlation between the Headache Impact Test-Brazil™ and the headache frequency was weak (r = 0.22, 95%CI: 0.04 to 0.39, p = 0.001), and with the headache intensity, moderate (r = 0.44, 95%CI: 0.23 to 0.62, p = 0.001). The Headache Impact Test-Brazil™ test-retest reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.95) with a standard error of 1.58 and a smallest detectable change of 4.38 points. CONCLUSION: The Headache Impact Test-6-Brazil™ can be considered as a valid and reliable tool to assess the impact of several headache types. Future studies may revise the questionnaire items to confirm its redundancy.

Brazilian Portuguese version of the Headache Disability Inventory: Cross-cultural adaptation, validity, and reliability.

BACKGROUND: The Headache Disability Inventory assesses the dimensions of headache disability, but it is not available in Brazilian Portuguese yet. We aimed to translate the Headache Disability Inventory into Brazilian Portuguese and analyze its measurement properties. METHODS: Consecutive patients with headaches diagnosed by expert neurologists as per the International Classification of Headache Disorders were included. For the cross-cultural adaptation, 30 individuals answered the translated Headache Disability Inventory version. The internal consistency was evaluated, and the structural validity was assessed through exploratory factor analysis. For the construct validity assessment, 132 individuals answered the Headache Disability Inventory-Brazil, 12-item Short Form Survey (SF-12), and Headache Impact Test (HIT-6). After 1-3 weeks, 67 individuals again answered the Headache Disability Inventory-Brazil for the reliability assessment. The Pearson's correlation test, the intraclass correlation coefficient and the standard error of measurement were analyzed. RESULTS: The pre-stage version of the questionnaire was considered as the final version. The Headache Disability Inventory-Brazil had an internal consistency of 0.84 and consisted of a functional, emotional and social participation domain (factor loads > 0.3). The internal consistency ranged from 0.81 to 0.93 for each of the three domains. For the construct validity, the Headache Disability Inventory-Brazil presented moderate correlation with the SF-12 (r = -0.70, p < 0.05) and with the HIT-6 (r = 0.67, p ≤ 0.05). Its test-retest reliability was considered to be excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.95) and the standard error of measurement was 2.26 points. CONCLUSION: The Headache Disability Inventory-Brazil was successfully translated and culturally adapted to the Brazilian population. It can be used for the impact assessment of primary and secondary headaches with validity and reliability equivalent to its original version.

Local and widespread hyperalgesia in female runners with patellofemoral pain are influenced by running volume.

OBJECTIVES: To compare pressure pain threshold (PPT) around the knee (local hyperalgesia) and at a site remote to the knee (widespread hyperalgesia) between female runners with and without patellofemoral pain (PFP); and to evaluate the relationship between running volume, self-reported knee function and PPT measures. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Twenty female runners with PFP and twenty pain-free female runners participated in the study. PPTs were measured using a handheld pressure algometer at four sites in the patellar region: quadriceps tendon, medial patella, lateral patella and patellar tendon; and on the contralateral upper limb. Additionally, all participants were asked to report their average weekly running volume in a typical month and answer the anterior knee pain scale (AKPS) questionnaire. RESULTS: For all sites, female runners with PFP presented lower PPT measures in comparison with control group (P<0.017). There were negative correlations between AKPS and running volume (ρ=-0.88; P<0.001) and between all PPTs and the running volume in the PFP group with correlation (ρ) values ranging between -0.46 and -0.70 (P<0.022). There were positive correlations between all PPTs and AKPS with correlation (ρ) value from 0.50 to 0.69 (P<0.030). CONCLUSION: Lower PPTs locally and remote to the knee in female runners with PFP indicate the presence of local and widespread hyperalgesia. Additionally, this hyperalgesia, which is related to self-reported knee function, appears to be increased by greater running volumes. Development and evaluation of non-mechanical interventions for the management of running-related PFP in females may be needed to address this apparent hyperalgesia.

Patellofemoral pain and sports practice: reduced symptoms and higher quality of life in adolescent athletes as compared to non-athletes

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is common in athletes and physically active individuals and it is one of the most frequent knee disorders among adolescents. However, the impact of the severity of PFP symptoms on quality of life (QOL) has been barely investigated. Thus, we aimed to compare the level of PFP and the self-reported QOL between adolescent athletes and non-athletes, and to explore the relationship between the severity of PFP symptoms and QOL. Fifty-six adolescents with PFP (22 athletes and 34 non-athletes) were asked to fulfill the Anterior Knee Pain Scale (AKPS) and the QOL dimension of the Knee Outcome in Osteoarthritis Survey (KOOS). Between groups comparisons indicated that adolescent non-athletes presented higher severity of PFP symptoms and lower QOF as compared with adolescent athletes. Significant correlations between the severity of PFP and QOL were found for both groups, regardless of the athletic status.