Translation and validation into the Brazilian Portuguese of the restless legs syndrome rating scale of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group.
BACKGROUND
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a chronic sensory-motor disorder characterized by unpleasant limb sensations and an irresistible urge to move. The International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group developed the Restless Legs Syndrome Rating Scale (IRLS) to assess the severity of RLS symptoms. The objective of this study was to translate and validate the IRLS into Brazilian Portuguese.


METHODS
The IRLS was translated into Brazilian Portuguese, analyzed, back translated to English, and compared to the original version. It was applied to 10 patients for cultural verification. The language was adjusted and the final version was administered to 30 patients (13 male, mean age 58.88+/-14.82).


RESULTS
There was correlation among the IRLS evaluation of three experts. Many linguistic adaptations were required to achieve cultural adequacy and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient showed reliability of 80%.


CONCLUSIONS
IRLS was translated, adapted, and validated to Brazilian Portuguese language, showing good reliability and validity.
Masuko
Alice H
AH
Department of Neurology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
Carvalho
Luciane B C
LB
Machado
Marco A C
MA
Morais
José F
JF
Prado
Lucila B F
LB
Prado
Gilmar F
GF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014175:Translating; D055815:Young Adult