Abstract
Uterine fibroids (UF), also known as leiomyomas, are the most prevalent gynecological tumors. The Uterine Fibroid Symptoms and Quality of Life (UFS-QOL) is the only specific questionnaire that assesses symptom intensity and quality-of-life issues for women with symptomatic UF; however, it only exists in the English language. Thus, we aimed to translate and culturally validate the UFS-QOL questionnaire for the Brazilian Portuguese language. Cross-sectional study, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, FMRP-USP. 113 patients with UF (case group) and 55 patients without UF (control group) were interviewed using the UFS-QOL questionnaire after translation and cultural adaptation. The Short Form-36 questionnaire was used as a control. Demographic and psychometric variables were analyzed. Women with UF presented higher mean age, body mass index, weight, parity and comorbidities than the control group (P < 0.05). The most prevalent complaints were abnormal uterine bleeding (93.8%), pelvic pain (36.3%) and extrinsic compression (10.6%) and these presented adequate construct validity regarding UFS-QOL severity (P < 0.05). The UFS-QOL questionnaire presented good internal consistency regarding symptom severity and quality-of-life-related domains (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC = 0.82/0.88). Structural validity presented correlation coefficients ranging from 0.59 to 0.91. Test-retest comparison did not show differences among the UFS-QOL subscales. After treatment, women with UF presented improvements on all subscales. The UFS-QOL questionnaire presented adequate translation to the Brazilian Portuguese language, with good internal consistency, discriminant validity, construct validity, structural validity and responsiveness, along with adequate test-retest results.
Highlights
Uterine fibroids (UF), known as leiomyomas, are the most common gynecological tumors and they originate from the smooth muscle cells of the uterine wall
We had 5 refusals to participate, and 12 women were excluded from the study during the enrollment period
This study showed that in the Uterine Fibroid Symptom and Quality of Life (UFS-QOL) questionnaire, the symptoms of women with UF strongly correlated with lower health-related quality of life (HRQL) subscales and higher severity scores, and that the women’s symptoms had an impact on their quality of life
Summary
Uterine fibroids (UF), known as leiomyomas, are the most common gynecological tumors and they originate from the smooth muscle cells of the uterine wall. 60 to 80% of women present these tumors,[1] only 20 to 30% present symptoms, such as abnormal uterine bleeding and pelvic pain.[2] In Brazil, there are no accurate epidemiological data for this disease; the number of hysterectomies performed in this country has stabilized,[3] even though clinical management of UF is still a challenge.[4]. An observational study showed that UF had a negative impact on the patients’ quality of life.[5] They presented social and professional limitations, with fear, disbelief and despondency regarding their symptoms, and these factors strengthened their will to undergo hysterectomy.[6] the impact of UF symptoms on women’s health-related quality of life (HRQL) is a major indicator for treatment
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