Blatt, Kupperman et al developed an index of menopausal symptoms which they used this to evaluate the effectiveness of different therapies for reducing climacteric symptoms. The authors were from the New York University College of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital in New York City.
Selection of symptoms: 11 most common symptoms the authors encountered
The menopausal index may be reported in 2 forms:
(1) The original report simply tallied symptom severity points for 11 symptoms.
(2) A subsequent report used the same symptoms and symptom severity points, but included a numerical weighting factor to give a numerical conversion for each symptom.
In addition to these 2 forms, modified scales ("modified Kupperman index") have been developed that incorporate additional items such as urinary symptoms.
|
Symptom |
Weighting Factor |
|
vasomotor (hot flashes, night sweats) |
4 |
|
paresthesias |
2 |
|
insomnia |
2 |
|
nervousness |
2 |
|
melancholia |
1 |
|
vertigo |
1 |
|
weakness and fatigue |
1 |
|
arthralgia and myalgia |
1 |
|
headache |
1 |
|
palpitations |
1 |
|
formication (sensation like small insects crawling on the skin) |
1 |
|
Symptom Severity |
Points |
|
none |
0 |
|
slight |
1 |
|
moderate |
2 |
|
severe |
3 |
symptoms severity score =
= SUM(symptom severity points for all 11 symptoms)
numerical conversion for each symptom =
= (factor value for the symptom) * (symptom severity points)
weighted index score =
= SUM(numerical conversion for all 11 symptoms)
Interpretation:
• minimum scores: 0
• maximum symptom severity score: 33
• maximum weighted index: 51
|
Severity |
Symptom Severity Score |
Weighted Index Score |
|
none |
0 |
0 |
|
minimal |
1 to 5 |
1 to 14 |
|
mild |
6 to 10 |
15 to 20 |
|
moderate |
11 to 15 |
21 to 35 |
|
severe |
16 to 33 |
36 to 51 |
where:
• In the original interpretation tables for both scores, ranges overlapped (for example: a score of 10 in the symptom severity score could be mild or moderate while 15 could be moderate or severe). I have changed the ranges to prevent overlap.
• The original scales had 0-5 and 0-14 as "none". I decided to split this into a "none" and "minimal" category. The ranges for these can be adjusted.
Limitations:
• According to Alder, the Blatt-Kupperman index suffers from a number a limitations, such as: archaic terms, no norms for population, no reliability or validity measures, arbitrary weighting, and population samples undefined.
• Other indices are available and should be used for clinical trials.
Specialty: Obstetrics & Gynecology
ICD-10: ,
