Abstracts

Rationale: In patients with epilepsy, irritability is a relatively common and important symptom. However its actual prevalence and clinical significance is not yet revealed. The objective of this study was to administer the irritability questionnaire (IRQ) to patients with epilepsy and test the reliability and validity of the Korean version of this questionnaire.Methods: Total 26 patients with epilepsy and 31 controls were included in this preliminary study. Patients were consecutive attendees at epilepsy outpatient clinics in Dongsan medical center. Controls were healthy volunteers. We exclude the participants whose first language is not Korean and with cognitive impairment to a level that would preclude answering a self-report questionnaire. All participants were required to complete the Korean version of IRQ, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Buss-Perry aggression scale and Short form 36 health surveys (SF-36). For patients with epilepsy we conduct the test for intelligence quotient (IQ). Reliability and validity studies were conducted and internal consistency was examined. As a control group, we excluded participants with medical/psychiatric disorder and whose BAI score was more than 22 points and BDI score was more than 20 points.Results: The patients and controls did not differ significantly in terms of age (32.42±9.65 vs. 36.81±9.41 year, p = 0.089). There were significant differences in age between the groups (female, 34.6 vs. 67.7 %, p = 0.013). Total score of IRQ, the frequency subscale (19.00±9.29 vs. 15.39±5.24, p = 0.019) and the severity subscale (21.09±10.54 vs. 16.68±6.19, p = 0.023) were significantly higher in patients with epilepsy than in controls. BDI, BAI, Buss-Perry aggression scale and SF-36 were also different between the groups. Internal consistency was evaluated for the global score (Cronbach alpha = 0.86) as well as the frequency (Cronbach alpha = 0.84) and severity (Cronbach alpha = 0.86) subscales. The IRQ correlated with BAI (0.621, p < 0.01), BDI (0.766, p < 0.01), Buss-Perry aggression scale (0.680, p < 0.01), and SF-36 (-0.625, p < 0.01). IQ was not related to the IRQ.Conclusions: This preliminary study suggests the Korean version of IRQ shows good reliability and validity. These results support the use of IRQ in large sections of the patients with epilepsy in Korea.