Correlation between the modified Kupperman Index and the Menopause Rating Scale in Chinese women

Background: The severity of menopausal symptoms can vary according to ethnicity and geography. Two common menopausal symptom scales, the modified Kupperman Index (KI) and the Menopausal Rating Scale (MRS), are accepted internationally. In this study, we evaluated the correlation between these scales and their relevance to women in the People's Republic of China. Methods: We enrolled treatment-naive women who visited the menopause outpatient department at a major teaching hospital in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The women were required to complete two questionnaires, ie, the modified KI and the MRS. We assessed the correlation between the tools using a correlation analysis. Results: We enrolled 277 women of average age 51.5 +/- 4.8 years. There was a strong positive correlation between total scores on the modified KI and the MRS (0.74, 95% confidence interval 0.69-0.79) and subscores for the somatic and psychological domains (0.74 and 0.77, respectively), with a moderate correlation for urogenital symptoms. According to the modified KI, 15 (5.4%) women were categorized as asymptomatic, and when using the MRS, 33 (11.9%) were categorized as asymptomatic. Women categorized as having none/minimal symptoms by the MRS were diagnosed as having mild to severe symptoms using the modified KI. The highest agreement (74%) was found when symptoms were moderate. Conclusion: The modified KI and the MRS do correlate in Chinese women, but the modified KI is more likely to identify menopausal symptoms than the MRS in screening if there is doubt about the diagnosis of menopause.