Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale
Encyclopedia
The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale) is a rating scale
used to follow the longitudinal course of Parkinson's disease
.
It is made up of the following sections:
These are evaluated by interview and clinical observation. Some sections require multiple grades assigned to each extremity.
Clinicians and researchers alike use the UPDRS and the motor section in particular to follow the progression of a person's Parkinson's disease. Scientific researchers use it to measure benefits from a given therapy in a more unified and accepted rating system. Neurologists also use it in clinical practice to follow the progression of their patients' symptoms in a more objective manner.
Following the UPDRS scores over time provides insight into the patient's disease progression. For instance Michael J. Fox
's symptoms started with a slight tremor so his motor score would have been less than 10. For most patients, the "mentation, behavior and mood" scores increase later in the disease, but there is a subset for whom those symptoms develop early on.
and Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living Scale, although both of these measures are currently included within the UPDRS in modified format.
Rating scale
A rating scale is a set of categories designed to elicit information about a quantitative or a qualitative attribute. In the social sciences, common examples are the Likert scale and 1-10 rating scales in which a person selects the number which is considered to reflect the perceived quality of a...
used to follow the longitudinal course of Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
.
It is made up of the following sections:
- Part I: evaluation of Mentation, behavior, and mood;
- Part II: self evaluation of the activities of daily life (ADLs) including speech, swallowing, handwriting, dressing, hygiene, falling, salivating, turning in bed, walking, cutting food;
- Part III: clinician-scored motor evaluation;
- Part IV: Hoehn and Yahr stating of severity of Parkinson disease.
- Part V: Schwab and England ADL scale.
These are evaluated by interview and clinical observation. Some sections require multiple grades assigned to each extremity.
Clinicians and researchers alike use the UPDRS and the motor section in particular to follow the progression of a person's Parkinson's disease. Scientific researchers use it to measure benefits from a given therapy in a more unified and accepted rating system. Neurologists also use it in clinical practice to follow the progression of their patients' symptoms in a more objective manner.
Following the UPDRS scores over time provides insight into the patient's disease progression. For instance Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
's symptoms started with a slight tremor so his motor score would have been less than 10. For most patients, the "mentation, behavior and mood" scores increase later in the disease, but there is a subset for whom those symptoms develop early on.
Similar rating scales
Other rating scales for Parkinson's disease are Hoehn and Yahr scaleHoehn and Yahr scale
The Hoehn and Yahr scale is a commonly used system for describing how the symptoms of Parkinson's disease progress. It was originally published in 1967 in the journal Neurology by Melvin Yahr and Margaret Hoehn. The original scale included stages 1 through 5. Since then, stage 0 has been added, and...
and Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living Scale, although both of these measures are currently included within the UPDRS in modified format.