Validation of a short useful questionnaire in Spanish for the epidemiological screening of epilepsy in Spain: EPIBERIA Questionnaire

Abstract Introduction There is a major gap in knowledge about the epidemiology of epilepsy in Mediterranean countries. The EPIBERIA group was formed with the aim of promoting the conducting of epidemiological studies in this area in order to improve this situation. This paper deals with the validation of a brief questionnaire for screening of patients with epilepsy in general population. Methods We selected an English language questionnaire previously validated by the Ottman group. It was translated, modified to suit the characteristics of the Spanish population, and administered to a sample of 200 patients (93 epileptics and 107 non-epileptic patient controls) sampled consecutively from 5 Epilepsy Units scattered throughout Spain. Both groups were homogeneous in demographic variables, and the control group was representative of the general population. Results We obtained a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 74.77% for the less rigorous correction criteria of the questionnaire, with a sensitivity of 94.62% and a specificity of 99.07% for the most stringent ones. The positive predictive values (PPVs) ranged from 7.48% for the first case to 69.49% in the second, assuming a prevalence for epilepsy of 2%. Conclusions The questionnaire EPIBERIA is a valid Spanish tool for epilepsy screening of epilepsy in the general population in Spain.