scholarly journals Validation of Parkinson’s Disease-Related Questionnaires in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Gill Nelson ◽  
Ntombizodwa Ndlovu ◽  
Nicola Christofides ◽  
Tintswalo M. Hlungwani ◽  
Irene Faust ◽  
...  

Background. There are very few epidemiological studies investigating Parkinson’s disease (PD) in Africa. The hundreds of local languages and dialects make traditional screening and clinical evaluation tools difficult to use. Objective. The objective of the study was to validate two commonly used PD questionnaires in an African population. Methods. The PD Screening Questionnaire (PDSQ) and Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) were modified and translated into Afrikaans, Setswana, and isiZulu and administered to a sample of healthy local residents. We assessed the internal consistencies and cluster characteristics of the questionnaires, using a Cronbach’s alpha test and exploratory factor analysis. The questionnaires were then administered to a population-based sample of 416 research participants. We evaluated the correlations between the questionnaires and both a timed motor task and the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale motor subsection 3 (UPDRS3), using locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOWESS) regression analysis and Spearman’s rank correlation. Results. Both questionnaires had high overall internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.86 and 0.95, respectively). The modified PDQ-39 had evidence of five subscales, with Factor 1 explaining 57% and Factor 2 explaining 14%, of the variance in responses. The PDSQ and PDQ-39 scores were correlated with the UPDRS3 score (ρ = 0.35, P<0.001; and ρ = 0.28, P<0.001, respectively). Conclusion. The translated PDSQ and PDQ-39 questionnaires demonstrated high internal consistency and correlations with clinical severity of parkinsonism and a timed motor task, suggesting that they are valid tools for field-based epidemiological studies.

Folia Medica ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 56-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefka G. Mantarova ◽  
Irena V. Velcheva ◽  
Spaska O. Georgieva ◽  
Katerina I. Stambolieva

ABSTRACT The last twenty years have witnessed a surge of interest in the autonomic symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and the possibilities to diagnose and treat them. The specialized questionnaire assessing the autonomic symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (SCOPA-AUT) has been validated and available in English, Dutch and Spanish. In this study we aim at evaluating the validity, reliability and applicability of the Bulgarian version of SCOPAAUT (SCOPA-AUT-BG ). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 55 patients with idiopathic PD (mean age 64.4 ± 8.9 yrs), and 40 healthy controls (mean age 58.5 ± 9.4 yrs). Clinical severity and disease stage were assessed by United Parkinson’s disease rating scale (UPRDS) and Hoen and Yahr (H&Y). Thirty-two of the PD patients completed SCOPA-AUT-BG again after a 7-day interval. Questionnaire reliability was analyzed by determining the internal consistency, homogeneity, discriminatory and construct validity and test-retest reliability. RESULTS: Analyses showed good internal consistency of the summary evaluation of SCOPAAUT- BG (coefficient alpha of Cronbach = 0.79), which indicates the high reliability of the questionnaire. The lowest Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (0.53) was found for the subscale “cardiovascular functions”. A dominant role belongs to the subscales for gastrointestinal and urinary functions (Cronbach’s Alpha > 0.7), where a significantly high correlation of PD with the UPDRS scale was observed. We found high test-retest reliability based on the responses associated with dysfunction of the gastrointestinal, urinary, thermoregulatory and pupillary autonomic systems. The correlation of the results of SCOPA-AUT-BG with UPDRS is higher than that with H&Y, and the construct validity is high except for the cardiovascular and pupillomotor functions subscales. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that SCOPA-AUT-BG is a valid and reliable specialized questionnaire to evaluate autonomic function in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Using it allows for more detailed clinical evaluation of these patients and justifies the need to refer them to specialized examination of autonomic functions.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krisztina Horváth ◽  
Zsuzsanna Aschermann ◽  
Péter Ács ◽  
Edit Bosnyák ◽  
Gabriella Deli ◽  
...  

Movement Disorder Society-sponsored Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) has separate items for measuring sleep problems (item 1.7) and daytime sleepiness (1.8). The aim of our study was to evaluate the screening sensitivity and specificity of these items to the PD Sleep Scale 2nd version (PDSS-2) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). In this nationwide, cross-sectional study 460 PD patients were enrolled. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were calculated between the individual items, domains, and the total score of PDSS-2 and item 1.7 of MDS-UPDRS. Similarly, the items and the total score of ESS were contrasted to item 1.8 of MDS-UPDRS. After developing generalized ordinal logistic regression models, the transformed and observed scores were compared by Lin’s Concordance Correlation Coefficient. Only item 3 difficulties staying asleep and the “disturbed sleep” domain of PDSS-2 showed high correlation with “sleep problems” item 1.7 of the MDS-UPDRS. Total score of PDSS-2 had moderate correlation with this MDS-UPRDS item. The total score of ESS showed the strongest, but still moderate, correlation with “daytime sleepiness” item 1.8 of MDS-UPDRS. As intended, the MDS-UPDRS serves as an effective screening tool for both sleep problems and daytime sleepiness and identifies subjects whose disabilities need further investigation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joana Jesus-Ribeiro ◽  
Elsa Vieira ◽  
Pedro Ferreira ◽  
Cristina Januário ◽  
António Freire

Introduction: Parkinson’s disease has a significant impact in quality of life, which can be assessed with 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire and Parkinson’s Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of these scales in Portuguese patients.Material and Methods: Reliability was assessed through internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient). Regarding construct validity, we performed one-way analysis of variance across different groups according to modified Hoehn and Yahr scale. For criterion validity, we compared both scales with each other and with the Short Form 36-item Health Survey.Results: In a total of 100 patients with Parkinson’s disease, Cronbach’s alpha ranged for 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire between 0.66 - 0.98, and for Parkinson’s Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire, between 0.78 - 0.98. Intraclass correlation coefficient for 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire ranged between 0.49 - 0.96, and for Parkinson’s Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire, ranged between 0.65 - 0.96. Both scales showed, in general, capacity to discriminate differences among patients in the different stages of disease. The scales presented moderate to strong magnitude correlations with some Short Form 36-item Health Survey domains.Discussion: Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for most domains were satisfactory. Overall, it has been demonstrated good reproducibility, as well as construct and criterion validity.Conclusion: The Portuguese versions of both scales showed to be valid and reliable.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ditte Rudå ◽  
Gudmundur Einarsson ◽  
Anne Sofie Schott Andersen ◽  
Jannik Boll Matthiassen ◽  
Christoph U. Correll ◽  
...  

Background: Current assessments of motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease are often limited to clinical rating scales.Objectives: To develop a computer application using the Microsoft Kinect sensor to assess performance-related bradykinesia.Methods: The developed application (Motorgame) was tested in patients with Parkinson's disease and healthy controls. Participants were assessed with the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) and standardized clinical side effect rating scales, i.e., UKU Side Effect Rating Scale and Simpson-Angus Scale. Additionally, tests of information processing (Symbol Coding Task) and motor speed (Token Motor Task), together with a questionnaire, were applied.Results: Thirty patients with Parkinson's disease and 33 healthy controls were assessed. In the patient group, there was a statistically significant (p &lt; 0.05) association between prolonged time of motor performance in the Motorgame and upper body rigidity and bradykinesia (MDS-UPDRS) with the strongest effects in the right hand (p &lt; 0.001). In the entire group, prolonged time of motor performance was significantly associated with higher Simson-Angus scale rigidity score and higher UKU hypokinesia scores (p &lt; 0.05). A shortened time of motor performance was significantly associated with higher scores on information processing (p &lt; 0.05). Time of motor performance was not significantly associated with Token Motor Task, duration of illness, or hours of daily physical activity. The Motorgame was well-accepted.Conclusions: In the present feasibility study the Motorgame was able to detect common motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease in a statistically significant and clinically meaningful way, making it applicable for further testing in larger samples.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 476-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore D. Cosco ◽  
Matthew Prina ◽  
Brendon Stubbs ◽  
Yu-Tzu Wu

Background and Purpose: Globally, depressive symptoms are a leading contributor to years lived with disability. The Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression (CES-D) scale has been used extensively to quantify depression; yet, its psychometric properties remain contentious. This study examined the reliability and factor structure of the CES-D in the MacArthur Foundation’s Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS), a nationally representative cohort study of noninstitutionalized, English-speaking adults aged 24–74 years. Methods: Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to examine the reliability and factor structure of the CES-D. Results: There were 1,233 participants who were included in the analysis (mean age = 57.3 years [SD = 11.5], 56.7% female). Cronbach’s alpha of .90 was observed. The 4-factor model had the best model fit. Conclusions: High internal consistency was demonstrated alongside a replication of the original 4-factor structure. Continued use of the CES-D in noninstitutionalized populations is warranted.


2009 ◽  
Vol 67 (3b) ◽  
pp. 831-835 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula L. Scalzo ◽  
Isabella C. Nova ◽  
Mônica R. Perracini ◽  
Daniel R.C. Sacramento ◽  
Francisco Cardoso ◽  
...  

Background: Changes in balance occur with the progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). OBJECTIVE: To validate the Brazilian version of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) for PD patients, determining its reliability and internal consistency and correlating it with PD-specific instruments. METHOD: We evaluated 53 patients (M/F 37/16, mean age±SD, 62±7.9 years) with PD (mean±SD, 7.8±4.4 years). Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Schwab and England Scale (S&E), Hoehn and Yahr Staging Scale (HY) and BBS were used to assess patients. Statistical analyses for inter-rater reliability, internal consistency and correlations among BBS, UPDRS, S&E and HY were performed. RESULTS: The mean scores±SD on UPDRS and BBS were, respectively, 41.6±17.8 and 47.2±8.2. The median on S&E and HY scales were 80% and 2.5, respectively. The BBS presented a high intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC=0.84) and internal consistency (Cronbrach's α=0.92). There was a statistically significant correlation between BBS and disease duration (r s= -0.520, p<0.001), UPDRS subscales II and III (r s= -0.467, p=0.011; r s= -0.374, p=0.046, respectively), stage of disease (HY; r s= -0.507, p<0.001) and the activities of daily living (S&E; r s=0.492, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The BBS is a promising tool for the assessment of balance in PD, correlating with the stage of disease and the level of independence.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Naeimehossadat Asmarian ◽  
Ahmad Ruzitalab ◽  
Gholamhossien Erjaee ◽  
Mohammad Hadi Farahi ◽  
Seyyed Mojtaba Asmarian

Analysis of gait dynamics is a noninvasive and totally painless test, and it can be an ideal method for the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, based on the strength of synchronization between dynamics of strides, we have suggested a rating scale method for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods. The sample included 15 persons with PD (age: 66.8 ± 10.9 years) and 16 healthy persons (age: 39.3 ± 18.5   years) which were recruited from the Neurology Outpatient Clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital and were instructed to walk a 77 m long, straight hallway. The time interval of strides and subphases of strides were measured. Using the Hilbert transformation method, we obtained the data phase and used mean absolute error (MAE) to calculate the synchronization strength of the data phase. Results. In order to check the accuracy of our method, we measured the correlation between our numerical results (MAE) and values of the Hoehn-Yahr scale. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients ( r ) and the P values were calculated. MAE of left and right stride intervals (LRSI) significantly correlates with the Hoehn-Yahr scale for the subjects with PD (with r = 0.60 and P = 0.025 < 0.05 ). Conclusion. We have revealed that the synchronization weakness of LRSI shows the severity of PD. This method seems to be well suited as a rating scale for people with PD.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin P. Nguyen ◽  
Vyom Raval ◽  
Alex Treacher ◽  
Cooper Mellema ◽  
Frank Yu ◽  
...  

AbstractParkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and is characterized by the loss of ability to control voluntary movements. Predictive biomarkers of progression in Parkinson’s Disease are urgently needed to expedite the development of neuroprotective treatments and facilitate discussions about disease prognosis between clinicians and patients. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) shows promise in predicting progression, with derived measures, including regional homogeneity (ReHo) and fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF), having been previously been associated with current disease severity. In this work, ReHo and fALFF features from 82 Parkinson’s Disease subjects are used to train machine learning predictors of baseline clinical severity and progression at 1 year, 2 years, and 4 years follow-up as measured by the Movement Disorder Society Unified Depression Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) score. This is the first time that rs-fMRI and machine learning have been combined to predict future disease progression. The machine learning models explain up to 30.4% (R2 = 0.304) of the variance in baseline MDS-UPDRS scores, 55.8% (R2 = 0.558) of the variance in year 1 scores, and 47.1% (R2 = 0.471) of the variance in year 2 scores with high statistical significance (p < 0.0001). For distinguishing high- and low-progression individuals (MDS-UPDRS score above or below the median), the models achieve positive predictive values of up to 71% and negative predictive values of up to 84%. The models learn patterns of ReHo and fALFF measures that predict better and worse prognoses. Higher ReHo and fALFF in regions of the default motor network predicted lower current severity and lower future progression. The rs-fMRI features in the temporal lobe, limbic system, and motor cortex were also identified as predictors. These results present a potential neuroimaging biomarker that accurately predicts progression, which may be useful as a clinical decision-making tool and in future trials of neuroprotective treatments.


PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Todor ◽  
Dinu Vermesan ◽  
Horia Haragus ◽  
Jenel M. Patrascu Jr ◽  
Bogdan Timar ◽  
...  

Aim We aimed to translate and cross-culturally adapt the International Knee Documentation Committee—subjective knee form (IKDC) in Romanian. Method The original (US) IKDC—subjective knee form was translated according to recommended guidelines. Validity was tested using Spearmans’s correlation coefficient between score sand test-retest reproducibility. Reliability and internal consistency were determined using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results A total of 106 data sets were available for processing. The average age was 52 years and the male to female ratio was 40:66. Fifty-five subjects repeated the form after an average of 4 days. There were no floor or ceiling effects (range 3.4–74.7). There was a strong correlation between the first and repeated administration of the IKDC—subjective knee form (r = 0.816, n = 50) and moderate compared to Tegner-Lysholm knee rating scale (r = 0.506, n = 102), KOOSJR (Knee disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement, r =  − 0.622, n = 96), EuroqolEQ-5D-5L Index (r = 0.633, n = 100) and visual analogue scale VAS (r = 0.484, n = 99). Internal consistency was moderate with Cronbach’s alpha 0.611 (n = 102) and ICC 0.611 for average measures (95% CI 0.493–0.713). Conclusion The Romanian translation of the IKDC—subjective knee form is a valid, consistent and reproducible outcome measure in patients with knee pain and dysfunction.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Bradley McDaniels ◽  
Chun-Lung Lee ◽  
Malachy Bishop

Background: Positive personality resources have demonstrated the ability to positively impact health outcomes. Objective: To examine the psychometric properties of the original Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-24) in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: A sample of 114 individuals with PD completed the PCQ-24, and via a latent factor modeling framework exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties in people with PD. Results: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed that both the efficacy and hope scales were reliable (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.87 and 0.86, respectively) and had statistically acceptable validity with strong factor loadings all above the practical threshold of 0.60. The resilience and optimism scales were also reliable (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.78 and 0.73, respectively) but had only moderately acceptable validity in part due to three reverse-scored items (i.e., No. 13, 20, & 23) with weak factor loadings of 0.26, 0.46, and 0.50, respectively. After excluding these at-risk items, the overall factor loadings for resilience and optimism were significantly improved at the acceptable above 0.60. The CFA results confirm a statistically acceptable model fit for the modified version (only 21-items) of the PCQ in the PD sample. Conclusion: Both EFA and CFA analyses provide statistical evidence supporting the modified PCQ version and demonstrate better test validity and reliability in the PD population. The refined PCQ form is both effectively shorter and psychometrically superior to the original and has promise in investigating health outcomes in people with PD.


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