Neuroepidemiology. 2012 Aug 29;39(3):171-175. [Epub ahead of print]
Dahodwala N, Kubersky L, Siderowf A.
Source
Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa., USA.
Abstract
Background:
Mild parkinsonian signs (MPS) are early features that, when present,
increase the risk of neurodegenerative disease and mortality. Current
methods to identify MPS are limited to neurological examination. Our
objective was to assess the ability of a 9-item Parkinson's Disease
Screening Questionnaire (PDSQ), which has high sensitivity in the
detection of overt Parkinson's disease (PD), to detect MPS. Methods:
Measures including the PDSQ, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale
and University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test were
administered to 267 participants without neurodegenerative disease. Two
published definitions of MPS were used to classify cases. Results: PDSQ
scores were higher for cases compared to controls (p < 0.001 for the
first case definition and 0.07 for the second). However, the
questionnaire had low sensitivity (47 and 59%) and specificity (62 and
63%) in the detection of MPS. Adding factors such as age, gender and
smell test score to the questionnaire in a predictive model only
marginally improved the test characteristics. Conclusion: The results
show the screening questionnaire does not accurately identify MPS. More
accurate tests are needed to improve the detection of this early
syndrome which can lead to motor disability, neurodegenerative disease
and mortality.
No comments:
Post a Comment