Reliability and validity of the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) in adults with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)

Introduction Significant impairments in health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease have been previously described. The disease-specific HRQL among patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), however, remains unknown. Aim To determine the degree of construct validity of the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) in adults with NASH. Methods Participants referred for the evaluation of histology-proven NASH at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, between 1996 and 2000, were evaluated. HRQL assessment by the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey and CLD) was performed. The primary outcome was to determine the level of correlation between overall and subscale scores for the CLDQ and SF-36 instruments. Results Among 79 participants (70%) with NASH completing both questionnaires (mean age, 51.2 years with 64% female gender), excellent reliability was noted for the CLDQ instrument. Significant reductions in all SF-36 domains (p