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OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in native South Americans and identify the impact of geographic location. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: An epidemiological telephone survey of RLS symptoms involving natives from coastal and mountainous areas was performed during July 2, 2004, through September 28, 2004. The process consisted of 2 phases: the creation of the epidemiological instrument and the telephone survey. RESULTS: Five hundred adults, 250 from the mountainous regions and 250 from the coastal region (190 men and 310 women; age range, 25–85 years) were Interviewed and subsequently divided on the basis of International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group criteria into those who had RLS (RLS+ group) and those who did not (RLS-group). Ten (2.0%) had RLS. The overall rate of RLS in adults living in the mountainous region at 2816 m above sea level (3.2% [8/250]) was significantly higher than that for adults living in the coastal region at 4 m above sea level (0.80% [2/250]; P=.002). The mean age of the RLS+ group was 49.5 years (SD, 15.20 years; range, 25–85 years). CONCLUSION: Native South American adults have a prevalence of RLS well below that reported in populations with European ancestry but similar to that in Asian and Turkish populations. Furthermore, in Ecuador, geographic differences were identified in areas of similar population density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To adapt and validate a Spanish-language version (SV) of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) to facilitate its use in Spanish-speaking contexts., Patients and Methods: The methods recommended by the International Quality of Life Assessment Project were followed. Two forward translations and 1 back translation of the NIHSS were developed to ensure lingual and cultural equivalence. A final revised SV-NIHSS was administered by 8 physicians to patients with stroke in 3 clinics in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from September 2003 to December 2003., Results: The study included 102 patients (mean +/- SD age, 73.3+/-6.5 years; 56% women) with stroke (86% ischemic). The SV-NIHSS mean baseline score was 9.78+/-7.04. Interrater reliability was Independently evaluated for 98 patients, showing a high agreement: kappa, 0.77 to 0.99 for the 15 items; interrater correlation coefficient, 0.991 (95% confidence Interval, 0.987-0.994). Intrarater reliability was excellent: kappa, 0.86 to 1.00 for the 15 items; mean intrarater correlation coefficient, 0.994 (95% confidence interval, 0.991-0.996). Construct validity was also adequate; the SV-NIHSS had a negative correlation with baseline Glasgow Coma Scale (Spearman coefficient = -0.574, P < .001) and with Barthel index at 3 months (Spearman coefficient = -0.658, P < .001). Patients with different Rankin scores at 3 months also had significantly different baseline SV-NIHSS scores, from a mean of 4.29+/-2.21 for Rankin score of 0 to a mean of 29.40+/-3.97 for Rankin score of 6 (P < .001)., Conclusion: This study shows that a Spanish-language version of the NIHSS developed with internationally recommended methods is reliable and valid when applied in a Spanish-speaking setting.