Article

The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) is the "gold standard" assessment tool for characterizing impairments in persons with
Parkinson's disease (PD); however, this scale's ability to predict functional
capabilities across different functional tasks has not been adequately assessed
in persons with early-stage PD. METHODS: Thirty persons with PD within 3 years of
diagnosis and without motor fluctuation performed self-selected walking, fast
walking, and sit-to-stand and stair-climbing tasks. Pearson's correlation
coefficients were used to calculate correlations with a standard UPDRS
examination (P<.05). Simple linear regression models were used to fit each
functional performance outcome measure with the UPDRS total predictor scores.
RESULTS: The correlations between the UPDRS motor (section III), UPDRS total
scores, and all timed functional performance measures were fair to good (range,
0.45-0.57). Conversely, only greater self-selected time to walk 50 ft correlated
with a higher UPDRS activities of daily living (II) score (r=.386; P<.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The UPDRS motor (III) and total scores may be good predictors of
overall lower extremity function in persons with early-stage PD. Understanding
the relationships between UPDRS scores and functional capabilities may allow
clinicians to better quantify early physical functioning, longitudinally assess
disease progression, and assess the efficacy of interventions.

Langue : ANGLAIS