Table of Contents

Bronchial Hyperresponsiveness (BHQ)

The Bronchial Hyperresponsiveness Questionnaire (BHQ) aims to assess bronchial hyperresponsiveness in patients with asthma (section: diseases & symptoms). It is implemented in the Lifelines cohort to assess bronchial hyperresponsiveness in the general population.
Note that respiratory symptoms were also assessed using the ELON instrument and several general questions. Respiratory diseases are also assessed.

Background

BHQ is a 34-item condition-specific questionnaire including 15 questions on respiratory symptoms and 19 on provoking stimuli during the past three months. Each question is scored on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from no complaints (1) to severe complaints (7).
The questionnaire was originally developed in Dutch and was translated in English. It was developed based on a literature review (English), in-depth interviews (Dutch), and a focus group discussion (Dutch) with asthma patients. The questionnaire was based on the PC20-histamine test as the gold standard. Factor analysis was conducted to identify clusters of interrelated questionnaire items. Spearman rank correlation tests were performed to investigate the relation between PC20-histamine levels and the item results 1).

Variables

Questions English Questions Dutch Variable Assessment
To what extent have you been affected by the following complaints in the past three months? in welke mate heeft u de afgelopen drie maanden last gehad van onderstaande klachten
Breathlessness. Benauwdheid bhq_symptoms_adu_q_01 BHQ1 1C
Sleep problems caused by breathlessness. Slaapproblemen door benauwdheid bhq_symptoms_adu_q_02 BHQ2 1C
Shortness of breath. Kortademigheid bhq_symptoms_adu_q_03 BHQ3 1C
Airway complaints when walking briskly or walking uphill. Luchtwegklachten bij lopen in stevige wandelpas of heuvel op bhq_symptoms_adu_q_04 BHQ4 1C
Sensation of pressure on the chest. Gevoel van een band of druk op de borst bhq_symptoms_adu_q_05 BHQ5 1C
Chest tightness. Beklemmend gevoel bhq_symptoms_adu_q_06 BHQ6 1C
Pain in the chest. Pijn op de borst bhq_symptoms_adu_q_07 BHQ7 1C
Inability to breathe deeply. Niet diep kunnen inademen bhq_symptoms_adu_q_08 BHQ8 1C
Breathing consciously and with difficulty. Bewust en met moeite ademen bhq_symptoms_adu_q_09 BHQ9 1C
Throat closing up. Dichtslaan bhq_symptoms_adu_q_10 BHQ10 1C
Wheezing. Piepende ademhaling bhq_symptoms_adu_q_11 BHQ11 1C
Panting. Hijgen bhq_symptoms_adu_q_12 BHQ12 1C
Hoarseness. Heesheid bhq_symptoms_adu_q_13 BHQ13 1C
Palpitation or fast heart rate. Hartkloppingen of snelle pols bhq_symptoms_adu_q_14 BHQ14 1C
Hyperventilation or fast breathing. Hyperventilatie of snelle ademhaling bhq_symptoms_adu_q_15 BHQ15 1C
To what extent have the following odors, substances or situations caused you airway complaints in the past three months? Bij welke van de onderstaande luchtjes, stoffen of situaties krijgt u klachten van uw luchtwegen?
Cat. Kat bhq_stimuli_adu_q_16 BHQ16 1C
Rodents, such as rabbit, quinea pig, hamster. Knaagdieren, zoals konijn, cavia, hamster bhq_stimuli_adu_q_17 BHQ17 1C
Household dust. Huisstof bhq_stimuli_adu_q_18 BHQ18 1C
Mould. Schimmel bhq_stimuli_adu_q_19 BHQ19 1C
Wool (for example in clothing). Wol, bijvoorbeeld in kleding bhq_stimuli_adu_q_20 BHQ20 1C
Down pillow/duvet. Donzen kussen/dekbed bhq_stimuli_adu_q_21 BHQ21 1C
Grass or hay. Gras of hooi bhq_stimuli_adu_q_22 BHQ22 1C
Pollen. Pollen of stuifmeel bhq_stimuli_adu_q_23 BHQ23 1C
Trees, such as birch, poplar, elm, pine, willow catkins. Bomen, zoals berk, populier, iep, den, wilgekatjes bhq_stimuli_adu_q_24 BHQ24 1C
Dusty space. Stoffige ruimte bhq_stimuli_adu_q_25 BHQ25 1C
Moist space indoors, for example an old cellar. Vochtige ruimte binnenshuis, bijvoorbeeld oude kelder bhq_stimuli_adu_q_26 BHQ26 1C
Fog. Mist bhq_stimuli_adu_q_27 BHQ27 1C
Change from warm to cold environment. Overgang van warme naar koude omgeving bhq_stimuli_adu_q_28 BHQ28 1C
Change of weather. Verandering van weertype bhq_stimuli_adu_q_29 BHQ29 1C
Scent of building materials. Lucht van bouwstoffen bhq_stimuli_adu_q_30 BHQ30 1C
Scent of petrol. Petroleumlucht of olielucht bhq_stimuli_adu_q_31 BHQ31 1C
Scent of ammonia. Ammoniakgeur bhq_stimuli_adu_q_32 BHQ32 1C
Lavatory air freshener. Wc-verfrisser bhq_stimuli_adu_q_33 BHQ33 1C
Hair spray. Haarlak bhq_stimuli_adu_q_34 BHQ34 1C
1)
Riemersma et al. (2009) Development of a questionnaire for the assessment of bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Primary Care Respiratory Medicine 18(4): 287–293