Rose Angina Questionnaire: Validation with cardiologists' diagnoses to detect coronary heart disease in Bangladesh

Aim/objectivesThe study aimed to validate the Rose Angina Questionnaire (RAQ) to detect coronary heart disease (CHD) by comparing with cardiologists' diagnoses in Bangladesh.MethodsPatients aged 40–75 years attending to two cardiac hospitals were diagnosed as either CHD positive or CHD negative by cardiologists. The RAQ was used to reclassify them into CHD positive [RAQ] and CHD negative [RAQ].FindingsThere were 302 CHD positive [cardiologists] and 302 CHD negative [cardiologists] individuals. The RAQ reclassified 194 individuals as CHD positive [RAQ] and 409 individuals as CHD negative [RAQ]. Therefore, the RAQ had 53% sensitivity and 89% specificity. There was no difference in sensitivity and specificity during subgroup analyzes by age and gender; the sensitivity was higher among people from lower socio-economic status.ConclusionThe RAQ, having moderate sensitivity but high specificity to detect CHD, can be used to screen individuals at risk of CHD in large-scale epidemiological surveys.