Background: Chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ) is an established disease specific tool to assess the health related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with CLD irrespective of the etiology and severity. The objective of the study was to develop the Hindi language version of CLDQ and to assess the validity of the Hindi CLDQ.
Methods: CLDQ was adapted into Hindi language by following a standard method of forward and back-translation by two bilingual translators, revision by expert panel and formulation of a consensual version followed by pilot testing and appropriate modifications before final administration. Hindi CLDQ along with short form 36 (SF-36) were administered in 494 patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) and 103 healthy controls (HC). To assess reproducibility, Hindi CLDQ was re-administered in a subsample of 20 patients. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Structural validity was assessed by exploratory factor analysis and construct validity was assessed with help of correlation of SF-36 scores and CLDQ pattern across disease severity groups.
Results: The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.93 and intra class coefficient correlation was 0.88 for the average CLDQ score, suggestive of good reliability. An inverse relationship of the average CLDQ score with the disease severity (CLDQ score of Child A vs. B vs. C = 5.2±1.10 vs. 4.73±1.24 vs. 4.15±1.19 respectively; p<0.001) and good correlation with SF-36 scores (average CLDQ score with PCS & MCS; r=0.63 & 0.55; p<0.001) was suggestive of good validity of Hindi CLDQ. The factor analysis identified 6 domains accounting for 62% of variability. The derived cut-off of 6 for the average CLDQ had the AUC of 0.826 with a sensitivity of 82.6 and a specificity of 76.7.
Conclusion: Hindi version of CLDQ is found to be a reliable and a valid tool comparable to the original English version. The HRQOL of patients with CLD is lower than healthy controls and HRQOL decreases with increase in disease severity.