Occupational Medicine 2007 57(5):388; doi:10.1093/occmed/kqm051
© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
MRC questionnaire (MRCQ) on respiratory symptoms
 |
A brief history
|
|---|
The Medical Research Council Questionnaire (MRCQ) was developed
by researchers at the Medical Research Council, UK, as a tool
to study respiratory epidemiology in communities and occupational
groups [
1]. It reliably relates symptoms and lung function and
has been in use for almost 50 years. The 1976 version is reproduced
in a current publication [
2]. Instructions on its use can be
obtained from the authors. A subsequent version includes questions
that are directed to identifying asthma [
3].
|
Items
|
|---|
In its usual form, the MRCQ comprises 17 questions on respiratory
symptoms (cough, phlegm, breathlessness, wheeze and chest illnesses,
now and during the past 2 years), detailed questions on smoking
history and a check-list on past illnesses.
|
Validity
|
|---|
Wording of questions, follow-up questions, definitions and interpretation
of responses are standardized and alternative questions have
been prepared for special circumstances, for example, shift
working. The intensity of symptoms is not covered but can be
scored separately [
4].
The MRCQ provides a system for scoring respiratory symptoms [5] and identifying underlying factors including smoking, previous chest illnesses and occupational dusts and vapours. Reproducibility is achieved by having the questions asked by an observer who had previously used the training manual and cassette. However, a version for self-administration is also available.
The questions on breathlessness are widely used for grading this symptom, but there is more than one scoring system, so the grades should be defined. In subjects with chronic respiratory disorders, the grades of breathlessness are weakly correlated with forced expiratory volume (FEV1). However, the correlation is higher with ventilation during sub-maximal exercise [6] and with quality of life as assessed by a quality of life questionnaire [7]. These two features appear to be co-linear and this possibility should be explored further.
|
Key research
|
|---|
The MRCQ is recommended for use in epidemiological and occupational
respiratory surveys and as part of a consultation for respiratory
symptoms or assessment of lung function. Where appropriate,
the screening can be expanded with additional questions on ischaemic
heart disease [
8], asthma [
9] or exposure to occupational respiratory
hazards such as coal or cotton dust, asbestos fibres or fumes
from welding [
10].
J. E. Cotes1 and
D. J. Chinn2
1 School of Health Science, University of Durham, Durham, UK
2 Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Correspondence to: e-mail: MRCQ{at}coterie.globalnet.co.uk
|
References
|
|---|
- Medical Research Council on the Aetiology of Chronic Bronchitis. Standardised questionnaire on respiratory symptoms. Br Med J (1960) 2:1665.[ISI][Medline]
- Cotes JE, Chinn DJ, Miller MR. Lung Function: Physiology Measurement and Application in Medicine: 6th ed. (2006) Oxford Blackwell Publishing. 87–91.
- Cotes JE. Medical Research. Council Questionnaire on respiratory symptoms. Correspondence. Lancet (1987) 2:1028.[ISI][Medline]
- Field GB. The application of a quantitative estimate of cough frequency to epidemiological surveys. Int J Epidemiol (1974) 3:135–143.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Medical Research Council. Definition and classification of chronic bronchitis for clinical and epidemiological purposes. Lancet (1965) 1:775–779.[Medline]
- Cotes JE, Zejda J, King B. Lung function impairment as a guide to exercise limitation in work-related lung disorders. Am Rev Respir Dis (1988) 137:1089–1093.[ISI][Medline]
- Jones PW. Quality of life measurement for patients with diseases of the airways. Thorax (1991) 46:676.[ISI][Medline]
- Rose G, McCartney P, Reid DD. Self-administration of a questionnaire on chest pain: intermittent claudication. Brit J Prev Soc Med (1977) 31:42–48.
- Burney P, Chinn S. Developing a new questionnaire for measuring the prevalence and distribution of asthma. Chest (1987) 91(Suppl.):79S–83S.[Medline]
- Chinn DJ, Cotes JE, El-Gamal FM, et al. Respiratory health of young shipyard welders and other tradesmen studied cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Occup Environ Med (1995) 55:33–42.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
Top
A brief history
Items