Functional and motor evaluation in a Brazilian Huntington’s disease cohort

Abstract

Introduction. This study compared the results of motor performance obtained using three clinical scales for the assessment of Huntington’s disease (HD) progression, such as the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), and Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS), evaluating the motor performances of Brazilian HD participants and Reference Group (RG). Method. This was a cross-sectional, observational quantitative study. Sensitivity and specificity of the MBI and FIM scales were calculated using UHDRS as a reference scale. Results. The mean age at HD onset was 41.6±8.3 years, with a median value of disease time of 11 years. The mean age of the RG (n=22) was 51.5±7.6 years, and the HD group (n=22) 51.5±8.4 years. Females from the HD group were more severely affected in their functional and motor capacities as compared to the RG (p<.001). Conclusions. To the authors knowledge, this is the first study applying the FIM to participants with HD. Therefore, FIM and MBI can be applied to assess the HD functional performance, since when we compared the UHDRS functional sections we observed similar results (p<.01). The FIM and MBI scales are easy to administer and can be used to assess the functional performance of HD patients. Furthermore, they may be effective tools in rehabilitation programs, but further studies of these scales are warranted.