The "7-Item Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire"

The Seven-Item Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire.

Over the past 1 month, how much has each of the following been a problem for you?	No Problem		Moderate Problem			Severe Problem
1. Pressure in the ears?	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2. Pain in the ears?	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3. A feeling that your ears are clogged or “under water”?	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4. Ear symptoms when you have a cold or sinusitis?	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5. Crackling or popping sounds in the ears?	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
6. Ringing in the ears?	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
7. A feeling that your hearing is muffled?	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Reliability Testing of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire Showing Overall Internal Consistency and Internal Consistency With Each Item Deleted.

Item	Cronbach α if Item Deleted
1. Pressure	.676
2. Pain	.652
3. Feeling clogged	.668
4. Cold/sinusitis problems	.676
5. Crackling/popping	.693
6. Ringing	.704
7. Feeling muffled	.678
Overall	.711

Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire Scores by Item.

Item	ETD Group, Mean (SD)	Control Group, Mean (SD)	P Value*
1. Pressure	4.3 (1.5)	1.1 (0.4)	<.001
2. Pain	3.2 (1.7)	1.3 (0.6)	<.001
3. Feeling clogged	4.8 (1.5)	1.2 (0.5)	<.001
4. Cold/sinusitis problems	5.0 (1.6)	2.2 (1.1)	<.001
5. Crackling or popping	4.0 (1.8)	1.1 (0.4)	<.001
6. Ringing	3.2 (2.1)	1.1 (0.3)	<.001
7. Feeling muffled	4.8 (1.5)	1.1 (0.4)	<.001
Overall	4.0 (1.1)	1.3 (0.3)	<.001

*Paired t test.

ETD = eustachian tube dysfunction; SD = standard deviation.