Validation of the Turkish Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire

Parkinson's disease (PD) patients who suffered from dysphagia have reported significantly reduced quality of life. The swallow function is a multidirectional process that depends on complex neuro-muscular network. The function can be evaluated using instrumental, such as fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), videofluoroscopy, or well structured questionnaires. There are many questionnaire and scales for assessment of dysphagia in PD but very few have been validated. The study will assess the construct validity and reliability of the Turkish version of Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire. The investigators developed the Turkish version of this questionnaire (SDQ-T), according to the cross-cultural adaptation guidelines. Two translators translated the SDQ into Turkish and a native English language speaker reverse-translated it into English. The back translation was sent to the original author for proofreading. The SDQ questionnaire consisted of 15 basic questions related with dysphagia symptoms in PD patients.