The St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) was designed to measure quality of life (QoL) in obstructive pulmonary disease. Its reliability, validity and sensitivity have been demonstrated. The aim was to develop a Swedish version of the SGRQ and to confirm its scaling and clinical properties. The SGRQ was adapted for Swedish conditions following a translation-backtranslation procedure. The psychometric and clinical evaluation included 68 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Supplementary QoL, clinical and physiological data were collected. A follow-up study was performed 1 yr later. Correlation analysis used a multitrait-multimethod model. Internal consistency reliability and discriminant validity were documented by performing a multitrait analysis. The results confirmed expected levels of associations. Correlation coefficients between the SGRQ total score and the Sickness Impact Profile Total score (a generic health measure), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and 6 min walking distance were 0.69, -0.42 and -0.61 respectively. The pattern of correlations in the Swedish data set was very similar to that of the original. The stability of the SGRQ scores was confirmed at follow-up after 1 yr. The reliability was satisfactory, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients >0.80 for the SGRQ and its subdimensions. In conclusion, the Swedish version of the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire is reliable, valid and compares well with the corresponding tests of the original version.