Vietnamese SNOT-22 Validation: Prospective Cohort Study on Sinonasal Symptoms And Health-Related Quality of Life

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a prevalent inflammatory disorder of the upper airway that drives substantial healthcare burden and impairs health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to translate and validate the Vietnamese version of the 22-item Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22), a widely used patient-reported outcome measure for CRS.

Prospective cohort study.

Tertiary academic center.

The SNOT-22 was translated following a standardized forward-backward procedure. Reliability, validity, and responsiveness were assessed in 110 participants (69 CRS patients, 31 controls). Among 52 surgical patients, questionnaires were administered preoperatively and at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. Correlations were examined with endoscopic, radiologic, symptom severity, and disease-specific measures.

The Vietnamese SNOT-22 demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.95), test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.94). Postoperative stability between 1 and 3 months was high (r = 0.78). Validity was demonstrated by clear discrimination between CRS patients and controls (P < .01) and across HRQoL levels (P = .01). No significant score difference was found between CRS phenotypes with or without nasal polyps. The SNOT-22 significantly correlated weakly with the modified Lund-Kennedy score, strongly with the VAS symptom score, and showed no correlation with the Lund-Mackay score. Responsiveness was robust, with significant postoperative improvement (P < .01) and a large effect size of 1.81 at 6 months.

The Vietnamese SNOT-22 is a reliable, concise, and responsive instrument for assessing HRQoL in CRS patients and can be recommended for both clinical practice and research in Vietnamese-speaking populations.