Brazilian cross-cultural translation and adaptation of the "Questionnaire of Life Quality Specific for Myasthenia Gravis - 15 items"

OBJECTIVE: To translate and to perform the cross-cultural adaptation of the "Questionnaire of Life Quality Specific for Myasthenia Gravis - 15 items" (MG-QOL15). METHOD: The original English version of the questionnaire was translated into Portuguese. This version was revised and translated back into English. Later, both English versions were compared and the divergences were corrected in the Portuguese text. At a second stage, ten patients with MG followed at the Neuromuscular Diseases Clinic from the University Hospital, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais answered the questionnaire. The authors analyzed the difficulties and misunderstandings in the application of the questionnaire. RESULTS: The questions 8, 13 and 15 were considered difficult to understand and were modified in the final Portuguese version. Most patients (70%) had a total score above 25, and the statements 3, 8 and 9 showed the highest scores. CONCLUSION: The Brazilian version of the questionnaire MG-QOL15 seems to be a promising tool for the assessment of Brazilian patients with MG.