1Mansoor Shahzad, 2Dr. Abdul Bari, 3Rehmat Khan, 4Mayram Naz, 5Mobeen Ali
1PIMS
2Consultant Neurologist Bolan Medical Complex Hospital Quetta
3PIMS
4PIMS
5PIMS
Correspondence: Mansoor Shahzad, PIMS
Abstract
Background: IPD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that mainly affects the motor function of the affected patients, thus causing a large number of patients to have comparatively poor quality of life. These motor symptoms are well assessed by the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale or simply referred to as UPDRS making it easier to determine the degree of severity and progression of the disease. However, studies further are warranted in order to confirm applicability and efficiency of the applied approaches among other patients and different contexts.
Aim: The purpose of this research was to evaluate how well the UPDRS worked in assessing the motor symptoms by comparing it with the severity of the disease, and other functional indexes in the Idiopathic Parkinson Disease patients.
Method: A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used in the present research and included 150 participants with IPD. Each participant’s motor disorder was evaluated with the motor sub score of the UPDRS as well as with the Hoehn and Yahr staging and functional measures that included the TUG test and the PDQ-39 mobility subscale. Quantitative comparisons were made to establish the relationship between UPDRS and disease severity indicators using statistical analysis.
Results: UPDRS motor scores also showed moderate positive correlation with the Hoehn and Yahr stages of the disease meaning that the higher the UPDRS motor score the higher the Hoehn and Yahr disease stage. Moreover, there was a slight significant relationship between the UPDRS scores and the duration of the disease whether it was the onset of motor symptom or diagnosis (r = 0. 55, p < 0. This study also demonstrated a good agreement between UPDRS and functional outcome measure; it was positively correlated with TUG test times = 0. 65, p < 0. 01, and PDQ-39 mobility subscale scores = 0. 72, p < 0. 01.
Conclusion: It is important to note that the present study has validated UPDRS as a valuable tool in assessing the motor symptoms in the subjects with IPD and there exists a strong relationship between the scores obtained from UPDRS, disease severity and functional impairment. In the light of this study, the use of the UPDRS in clinical setting for assessment of the disease progression and to help in the management strategies cannot be overemphasized. In the subsequent studies, the extended use of the UPDRS together with investigation of various factors should be viewed to understand better the original disadvantages and further improve the test.
Keywords: Idiopathic Parkinson Disease, Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale, Motor Symptoms, Disease Severity, Functional Assessment, UPDRS, Parkinson’s Disease.