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Factor structure of the unified Parkinson's disease rating scale: Motor examination section
Author(s) -
Stebbins Glenn T.,
Goetz Christopher G.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
movement disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.352
H-Index - 198
eISSN - 1531-8257
pISSN - 0885-3185
DOI - 10.1002/mds.870130404
Subject(s) - rating scale , physical medicine and rehabilitation , physical therapy , psychology , parkinson's disease , gait , neurological examination , physical examination , motor impairment , disease , medicine , psychiatry , developmental psychology , surgery , pathology
The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) is widely used to asses Parkinson's disease (PD) disability but its metric properties have not been extensively studied. We investigated the factor structure and internal consistency of the Motor Examination section of the UPDRS in a sample of 294 consecutive patients with idiopathic PD who were assessed while in the “on” state. There was a high degree of internal consistency. Factor analysis revealed six clinically distinct factors, three bradykinesia measures (axial/gait, right and left), one rigidity measure, and two tremor measures (rest and postural). These factors accounted for 78% of the variance. Total Motor Examination scores and selected factors correlated well with other examiner‐determined global ratings of PD disability (Hoehn and Yahr stage and Schwab‐England Activities of Daily Living score). These results suggest that the Motor Examination section of the UPDRS provides a useful measure of PD function as well as severity measures of six clinical disability domains.