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Introduction: Although subcutaneous treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) have been shown to be effective, adverse reactions and pain may adversely affect treatment satisfaction and adherence. This study presents an adapted and validated Spanish version of the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Concerns Questionnaire © (MSTCQ), which evaluates satisfaction with the injection device (ID) across 4 domains: injection system (A), side effects (B) (flu-like symptoms, reactions, and satisfaction), experience with treatment (C) and benefits (D)., Methods: Two study phases: 1) Cultural adaptation process with input from experts (n=6) and patients (n=30). 2) Validation obtained by means of an observational, cross-sectional, multi-centre study evaluating 143 adult MS patients using an ID. Tools employed: MSTCQ © , Patient-Reported Indices for Multiple Sclerosis (PRIMUS © ), and Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM © ). Psychometric properties: Feasibility (percentage of valid cases and floor/ceiling effects); Reliability (Cronbach α) and test-retest correlation (n=41, intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC); and construct validity (factor analysis of domains A and B) and convergent validity (Spearman rank-order correlation for MSTCQ © vs TSQM © )., Results: Mean age (SD) was 41.94 (10.47) years, 63% of the group were women, and 88.11% presented relapsing-remitting MS. Mean (SD) EDSS score was 2.68 (1.82) points. MSTCQ © completion was high (0%-2.80% missing data). Internal consistency was high at α=0.89 for the total score (A+B) and α=0.76, 0.89, and 0.92 for domains A, B, and C, respectively. The version demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability for the total (ICC=0.98) and for domains A, B, and C: ICC=0.82, 0.97, and 0.89, respectively. Factor analysis corroborated the internal structure of the original questionnaire. The association between total and domain scores on both the MSTCQ © and the TSQM © was moderately strong (Rho=0.42-0.74) and significant (P<.05 and P<.01)., Conclusion: The Spanish version of MSTCQ © demonstrates appropriate psychometric properties., (Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: A financial estimate has been made of the costs of epilepsy in adults., Methods: A prospective, observational study, over a period of 6 months, on epileptic patients over 14 years-old. Patients with concomitant diseases that could influence the outcome of the epilepsy were excluded. The direct costs included: treatment received, number of visits to neurology, primary care, and emergencies, number of days admitted to hospital, number and type of diagnostic tests, use of transport to and from hospital, and psychopedagogic and social support due to the epilepsy. The indirect costs were analysed according to, loss of work productivity of the patients, taking into account families where the patient needed supervision due to epilepsy. The total costs were derived from the sum of the direct and indirect costs. The intangible costs were calculated according to QOLIE-10 questionnaire., Results: The mean direct cost per patient was 1,055.2 €. The mean indirect financial costs came to 1,528.8 € per patient. The total cost associated to epilepsy was a mean of 2,584 € for each patient, mainly arising from loss of work days (p<.05). For intangible costs according to the QOLIE-10 scale a mean of 77.8 was obtained., Conclusions: The greatest percentage of costs associated to epilepsy is due to the work productivity loss by the patients. The costs of psychological and social suffering in epilepsy lead to a deterioration in the quality of life., (Copyright © 2010 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)