Syed Hafeezul Hassan, Feisal Subhan Beg, Sikandar Ali Sheikh.
Usefulness of modified BORG scale for dyspnea in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and asthma in a rural population of Karachi.
Pak J Chest Med Jan ;13(3):9-16.

Objective: To assess Modified Borg Scale (MBS) for subjective rating of dyspnoea in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and asthma and to find correlation between MBS and spirometry. Background: Measurement of dyspnoea in acute asthma is difficult. Rating of dyspnoea by subjective assessment and objective parameters becomes difficult when patient is in respiratory distress. Modified Borg Scale , a vertical subjective rating scale was tested to see whether it provides an alternative, flexible and easy means of assessment of dyspnoea as perceived by patients. Methodology: 53 patients between 16-70 years, 25 females with mean age 46.24±5.56 and 28 males with mean age 39.5±5.43 suffering from COPD and asthma who presented with dyspnoea were included in the study. They were asked to mark the MBS prior to and after the bronchodilators administration. Simultaneous recording of spirometry was also done. Results: The mean MBS decreased from 3.39±1.87 to 1.51±1.27 (p<0.01). The mean Forced vital capacity (FVC) increased from 1.81±0.84 to 2.21±0.92 L/min (p<0.01) after the treatment. The mean Forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1 ) increased from 1.21±0.73 to 1.62±0.85 L/min (p<0.01) after the treatment. The mean Peak expiratory flow (PEF) increased from 1.67±1.07 to 2.37±1.28 L/min (p<0.01). The mean Percentage ratio (FEV1/FVC) increased from 66.47±18.01 to 71.19±16.47 (p<0.01). As the spirometry improved, the perception decreased showing inverse relationship with MBS. The regression analysis showed R2=0.3418, R2=-0.2407 and R2=-0.4025 respectively for the above parameters. Conclusion: Modified Borg Scale is a reliable and valid tool for perception of dyspnoea and can be used for subjective assessment of shortness of breath. It correlates with spirometry.

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