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Bronchial Hyperresponsiveness (BHQ)
The Bronchial Hyperresponsiveness Questionnaire (BHQ) aims to assess bronchial hyperresponsiveness in patients with asthma 1). It is implemented in the Lifelines cohort to assess bronchial hyperresponsiveness in the general population.
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 2).
Variables
| Questions English | Questions Dutch | Variable | Assessment | Age |
| To what extent have you been affected by the following complaints in the past three months? | ||||
| Breathlessness. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Benauwheid | BHQ1 | 1C | 18+ |
| Sleep problems caused by breathlessness. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Slaapproblemen door benauwdheid | BHQ2 | 1C | 18+ |
| Shortness of breath. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Kortademigheid | BHQ3 | 1C | 18+ |
| Airway complaints when walking briskly or walking uphill. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Luchtwegklachten bij lopen in stevige wandelpas of heuvel op | BHQ4 | 1C | 18+ |
| Sensation of pressure on the chest. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Gevoel van een band of druk op de borst | BHQ5 | 1C | 18+ |
| Chest tightness. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Beklemmend gevoel | BHQ6 | 1C | 18+ |
| Pain in the chest. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Pijn op de borst | BHQ7 | 1C | 18+ |
| Inability to breathe deeply. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Niet diep kunnen inademen | BHQ8 | 1C | 18+ |
| Breathing consciously and with difficulty. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Bewust en met moeite ademen | BHQ9 | 1C | 18+ |
| Throat closing up. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Dichtslaan | BHQ10 | 1C | 18+ |
| Wheezing. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Piepende ademhaling | BHQ11 | 1C | 18+ |
| Panting. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Hijgen | BHQ12 | 1C | 18+ |
| Hoarseness. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Heesheid | BHQ13 | 1C | 18+ |
| Palpitation or fast heart rate. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Hartkloppingen of snelle pols | BHQ14 | 1C | 18+ |
| Hyperventilation or fast breathing. | Afgelopen 3 maanden: Hyperventilatie of snelle ademhaling | BHQ15 | 1C | 18+ |
| To what extent have the following odors, substances or situations caused you airway complaints in the past three months? | ||||
| Cat. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Kat | BHQ16 | 1C | 18+ |
| Rodents, such as rabbit, quinea pig, hamster. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Knaagdieren, zoals konijn, cavia, hamster | BHQ17 | 1C | 18+ |
| Household dust. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Huisstof | BHQ18 | 1C | 18+ |
| Mould. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Schimmel | BHQ19 | 1C | 18+ |
| Wool (for example in clothing). | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Wol, bijvoorbeeld in kleding | BHQ20 | 1C | 18+ |
| Down pillow/duvet. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Donzen kussen/dekbed | BHQ21 | 1C | 65+ |
| Grass or hay. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Gras of hooi | BHQ22 | 1C | 65+ |
| Pollen. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Pollen of stuifmeel | BHQ23 | 1C | 65+ |
| Trees, such as birch, poplar, elm, pine, willow catkins. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Bomen, zoals berk, populier, iep, den, wilgekatjes | BHQ24 | 1C | 18+ |
| Dusty space. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Stoffige ruimte | BHQ25 | 1C | 18+ |
| Moist space indoors, for example an old cellar. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Vochtige ruimte binnenshuis, bijvoorbeeld oude kelder | BHQ26 | 1C | 18+ |
| Fog. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Mist | BHQ27 | 1C | 18+ |
| Change from warm to cold environment. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Overgang van warme naar koude omgeving | BHQ28 | 1C | 18+ |
| Change of weather. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Verandering van weertype | BHQ29 | ||
| Scent of building materials. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Lucht van bouwstoffen | BHQ30 | ||
| Scent of petrol. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Petroleumlucht of olielucht | BHQ31 | ||
| Scent of ammonia. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Ammoniakgeur | BHQ32 | ||
| Lavatory air freshener. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Wc-verfrisser | BHQ33 | ||
| Hair spray. | Afgelopen 3 maanden klachten van luchtwegen door: Haarlak | BHQ34 |
