Validity of a modified Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea (PUQE) scoring index to assess severity of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy

Abstract

Objective: The only validated nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) severity index is the Motherisk Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea (PUQE) index that covers symptoms in the previous 12 hours. We sought to assess the validity of a modified-PUQE index that covers the entire first trimester of pregnancy by comparing NVP severity scores between the 12-hour PUQE index and our modified-PUQE index and by measuring the extent of the association between the modified-PUQE score and quality-of-life (QOL) score during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Study design: A prospective study that included women who attended the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine or René-Laennec clinic for their prenatal visits was conducted from 2004-2006. Women were eligible if they were > or = 18 years old and < or = 16 weeks of gestation at the time of their first prenatal visit. Women who reported NVP were asked to fill out the 12-hour PUQE, the modified PUQE index, and the Short-Form Health Survey QOL index simultaneously. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to determine concordance between the 2 scores. Linear regression models were built to measure the association between the modified-PUQE score and Short-Form Health Survey QOL scores.

Results: Among participants (n = 287), the mean NVP severity score was 5.7 vs 6.7 on the 12-hour PUQE and modified PUQE, respectively (P < .05). There was substantial concordance between the indices (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.71). Severity of NVP that was measured by the new modified index was associated with QOL.

Conclusion: We are confident that, on the basis of the modified-PUQE, the relationship between QOL and severity of NVP justify the use of this new index.