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INTRODUCTION: Seizure severity and seizure frequency reduction are the goals in the treatment of epilepsy. Up to the present, there are no validated instruments or studies emphasizing initial reliability and validity of questionnaires to measure seizure severity into Brazilian Portuguese. PURPOSE: This report describes the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Seizure Severity Questionnaire (SSQ), an instrument to evaluate seizure frequency and severity. CASUISTIC AND METHODS: The author conceded the original English version to Portuguese translation. Later, two independent native English-speaking teachers fluent in Portuguese translated this consensus version back into English. Comparison of the back-translation with the original English version showed only a few discrepancies, and the English and Portuguese versions were considered conceptually equivalent. Thirty patients regularly treated with temporal lobe epilepsy related to mesial temporal sclerosis answered the questionnaire. RESULTS: Twenty-two adult patients (73%) were male and mean age 37. Ten (33%) reported only auras and 18 Movements or attitudes during the seizures. Two presented Loss of consciousness. For 13 (43%) there was a long time to recuperate after the event. 12 reported Emotional effects and all patients had Body effects. The majority of patients, 28 (94%) considered their seizures extremely severe and for 23 (77%) the recuperation period was the most bother symptom. The association of seizure frequency and Nottingham Health Profile showed statistical significance for the domains: Emotional well-being (p = 0.046), Pain (p = 0.015) and Sleep (p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: This study explored the cultural adaptation of SSQ and its first results. We also assessed the correlation between seizure frequency and quality of life impact. The instrument SSQ could help to understand the seizure concern in the view of the patient.