Clinical and symptom measures. Discussion

We present a review of specific health status measures, including symptoms, physical examination, and laboratory tests (exclusive of lung function tests), in terms of their suitability for assessing the presence and severity of asthma in epidemiologic and clinical research. We focus on the validity, reliability, and responsiveness to clinical intervention of these measures. Several adult questionnaires designed for epidemiologic research include questions on asthma and wheezing that have demonstrated repeatability and validity against concurrent measurements of nonspecific airway responsiveness. The International Union Against Tuberculosis Bronchial Symptoms Questionnaire was designed specifically to detect asthma and airway hyperresponsiveness in adult populations, and its reliability and validity have been well documented