Evaluation of a self-administered questionnaire on atopic diseases: Discrepancy between self-reported symptoms and objective signs

Abstract

Background: Atopic diseases are considered multifactorial and the cause seems to be an interaction between genetic and environmental factors. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the validity of questionnaires compared with clinical diagnoses. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire about atopic diseases and sociodemographic characteristics was completed by 551 out of 575 school children aged 7-12 years and clinical and immunological examinations were attended by 424. Results: The sensitivity was low and the specificity high for all atopic manifestations. Conclusion: Atopic dermatitis was underestimated and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis overestimated, whereas asthma did not differ. Symptom-based questionnaire studies seem to be useful epidemiological tools for obtaining rough estimates of the frequency of atopic diseases.