Validation of the Serbian version of the Asthma Control Test

Branislava Milenković; Snežana Ristić; Danijela Mirović; Sanja Dimić Janjić; Jelena Janković; Nataša Djurdjević; Žaklina Davičević-Elez; Tamara Lukić

doi:10.2298/VSP171114006M

Branislava Milenković Clinical Center of Serbia, Clinic for Pulmonary Diseases, Belgrade, Serbia; University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia
Snežana Ristić Institute for Students Health Care, Belgrade, Serbia
Danijela Mirović Primary Health Care Center, Kotor, Montenegro
Sanja Dimić Janjić Clinical Center of Serbia, Clinic for Pulmonary Diseases, Belgrade, Serbia
Jelena Janković Clinical Center of Serbia, Clinic for Pulmonary Diseases, Belgrade, Serbia
Nataša Djurdjević Clinical Center of Serbia, Clinic for Pulmonary Diseases, Belgrade, Serbia
Žaklina Davičević-Elez GlaxoSmithKline,|Medical Department, Belgrade, Serbia
Tamara Lukić GlaxoSmithKline, Medical Department, Belgrade, Serbia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2298/VSP171114006M

Keywords: asthma, surveys and questionnaires, serbia

Abstract

Background/Aim. Asthma still remains poorly controlled in the majority of patients. The Asthma Control Test (ACT) is a short and useful patient-administered questionnaire for identification of patients with poor asthma control in clinical settings. The aim of this study was to validate a Serbian version of the ACT in the adults with asthma. Methods. A total of 250 consecutive adult asthmatic patients were recruited in a prospective observational study. The exclusion criteria were chronic respiratory disease and acute respiratory tract infection in preceding 4 weeks. Results. The spirometry and ACT questionnaire were performed on the baseline visit and 6 months later. The ACT test was completed by 98.8% of patients with the mean time of completion of 4.5 minutes. The correlation of ACT score and lung function parameters (forced expiratory volume in 1 second – FEV₁ and forced vital capacity – FVC) was significant (p = 0.016 and p = 0.002, respectively). A change in the ACT scores between baseline and 6-months visit was not associated with a change in FVC and FEV1. The ACT score had excellent diagnostic accuracy according to the physicians asthma control classification and even outstanding accuracy according to the patients’ classification. Conclusion. The results of this study confirm the reliability, validity and accuracy of Serbian version of the ACT, contributing to established value of original ACT test and with consistent findings as the previously reported validity of ACT in other languages. Therefore, it should be utilized more in everyday clinical practice as a useful and reliable tool of asthma control assessment.

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