Dataset Information

Validation of a Questionnaire to Identify Respiratory Tract Infections in Children With Sickle Cell Disease.

ABSTRACT:

Background

No validated questionnaires have been published that are specific for identifying respiratory infections in children with sickle cell disease (SCD).

Methods

A questionnaire was developed that included 6 respiratory symptoms (difficulty breathing, wheezing, fever, cough, runny or stuffy nose, and sore throat) to identify respiratory events for a clinical trial. The questionnaire results were compared with identification of viral respiratory pathogens from nasal samples by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.

Results

Eighty questionnaire responses (40 with symptom/s and 40 without) paired with isolation of viral respiratory pathogen from nasal samples were obtained from 53 children with SCD, ages 4 to 18 years over 2 separate periods in different seasons. The questionnaire yielded a sensitivity of 82%, specificity of 72% with an overall accuracy of 76%. The kappa value was 0.53, indicating moderate agreement, and the Fleiss' kappa test statistic was 4.77 with P<0.001, indicating that agreement between the 2 methods was not by chance.

Conclusion

These results provide evidence for validity of this 6-symptom respiratory questionnaire in identification of respiratory viral infections for use in SCD-related research.

SUBMITTER: De A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8530454 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:ObjectiveTo determine the expected duration of symptoms of common respiratory tract infections in children in primary and emergency care.DesignSystematic review of existing literature to determine durations of symptoms of earache, sore throat, cough (including acute cough, bronchiolitis, and croup), and common cold in children.Data sourcesPubMed, DARE, and CINAHL (all to July 2012).Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesRandomised controlled trials or observational studies of children with acute respiratory tract infections in primary care or emergency settings in high income countries who received either a control treatment or a placebo or over-the-counter treatment. Study quality was assessed with the Cochrane risk of bias framework for randomised controlled trials, and the critical appraisal skills programme framework for observational studies.Main outcome measuresIndividual study data and, when possible, pooled daily mean proportions and 95% confidence intervals for symptom duration. Symptom duration (in days) at which each symptom had resolved in 50% and 90% of children.ResultsOf 22,182 identified references, 23 trials and 25 observational studies met inclusion criteria. Study populations varied in age and duration of symptoms before study onset. In 90% of children, earache was resolved by seven to eight days, sore throat between two and seven days, croup by two days, bronchiolitis by 21 days, acute cough by 25 days, common cold by 15 days, and non-specific respiratory tract infections symptoms by 16 days.ConclusionsThe durations of earache and common colds are considerably longer than current guidance given to parents in the United Kingdom and the United States; for other symptoms such as sore throat, acute cough, bronchiolitis, and croup the current guidance is consistent with our findings. Updating current guidelines with new evidence will help support parents and clinicians in evidence based decision making for children with respiratory tract infections.