Globus pharyngis: development of a symptom assessment scale

Abstract

One hundred and five consecutive patients attending an ENT out-patients' clinic with a diagnosis of globus pharyngis completed a 10-item questionnaire concerning common throat symptoms. Principal components analysis of the questionnaire revealed a general throat pathology factor, and three orthogonal rotated factors which were related to dysphagia, globus sensation, and pain/swelling in the throat. Of 10 throat symptoms, the globus patients most commonly complained of: "Feeling of something stuck in the throat," "Discomfort/irritation in the throat," and "Want to swallow all the time." These were the symptoms which had highest loadings on the 'globus' factor. The clear factor structure and the satisfactory internal consistency of the Glasgow-Edinburgh Throat Scale (GETS) suggest that it offers a clinically useful instrument for assessing and monitoring the severity of some common throat ailments. The degree of distress caused by throat symptoms was predicted independently by the intensity of the globus sensation and by anxiety level.