Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine the validity, reliability, and internal consistency of the Rhinosinusitis Disability Index (RSDI) for evaluating nasal and sinus diseases in Turkey.
Patients and methods: The study included 120 patients (77 males, 43 females; mean age 39+/-12 years; range 18 to 65 years) with diagnoses of allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, nasal polyposis, and septal deviation. Each group consisted of 30 patients. The Turkish version of the RSDI was administered to all the patients together with the SF-36 quality of life scale as the gold standard reference test. For reliability, the RSDI was re-administered to 15 patients a week after the first. Internal consistency, reliability, and validity tests were carried out to evaluate the RSDI.
Results: The Cronbach's alpha coefficients were between 0.7175 and 0.9308 for the subscales of the RSDI, showing internal consistency. The correlation coefficients of the functional, emotional and physical subscales of the RSDI between the first and second administrations were 0.861, 0.883, and 0.902, respectively, indicating reliability. There were significant positive correlations between similar subscales of the RSDI and the SF-36.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the Turkish version of the RSDI can be used for evaluating sinonasal diseases.