Daily Ambulatory Activity Levels in Idiopathic Parkinson Disease
By Skidmore, Frank M.; Mackman, Chad A.; Pav, Breckon; Shulman, Lisa M.; Garvan, Cyndi; Macko, Richard F.; Heilman, Kenneth M.; Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, Vol. 45, No. 9, pp. 1343-1348Publication Date: 2008
Study assessed the use of a step activity monitor (SAM) in evaluating the impact of disease severity on home activity levels in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). A micro-processor linked SAM was used for the study. Twenty-five individuals with PD participated in the study. Participants ranged in stages from 2 to 4 of the Hoehn and Jahr disease staging system, a qualitative method of judging disease severity. A Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) evaluation was performed on participants, who were then monitored for 48 hours using SAMs, and total number of steps per day and maximum steps taken per hour were calculated. The number of steps taken per day and maximal activity levels were then correlated with the UPDRS total score, the activity of daily living subscale, and the UPDRS motor function subscale off and on medication. Transition from Hoehn and Yahr stage 2 to stage 3 was found to be associated with a decline in functional mobility. The study concludes that a microprocessor-linked SAM accurately counted steps in participants with PD, and the number of steps taken correlated highly with disease severity, indicating that SAMs may be useful outcome measures in PD.
Published by:
VA Rehabilitation Research & Development Service (Web Site: http://www.rehab.research.va.gov )
Link to text: http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/08/45/9/skidmore.html
